In order to explore the correlation between knee joint kinematic parameters and sprint time, a study was conducted by recruiting 26 national first-level football players to participate in a 30-meter sprint test. Inertial sensors and OpenSim analysis were used to investigate the knee joint kinematic characteristics during the sprint. The results show that the range of motion(ROM) of swing phase knee flexion(r = -0.148, P = 0.005) is negatively correlated with sprint time. The average angular velocity of swing phase knee extension(r = -0.251, P < 0.001) is negatively correlated with sprint time. The average angular velocity of stance phase knee flexion(r = -0.107, P = 0.045) is negatively correlated with sprint time. The peak angle of stance phase knee extension(r = 0.118, P=0.029) is positively correlated with sprint time, while the ROM(r = -0.145, P = 0.004) and average angular velocity(r = -0.306, P < 0.001) of stance phase knee extension are negatively correlated with sprint time. It is concluded that during the sprint, completing the swing phase knee extension and stance phase knee flexion and extension with a faster angular velocity, and emphasizing the action characteristics of full extension, contribute to players exhibiting superior sprint performance.