Can performing barefoot improve athletic performance?

I think it's more about technique, rather than more stamina.
I heard of some runners posting faster times when they ran barefoot.
They avoid heel strikes so they may be in a position to push themselves forward sooner than wearers of running shoes, with every stride they take.

Zola Budd (British athlete of South African birth) used to run track in bare feet. That was how she was brought up.