The road to 21 seconds: A case report of a 2016 Olympic swimming sprinter

Abstract

This study aimed to describe training characteristics as well as physical, technical and morphological changes of an elite Olympic swimming sprinter throughout his road to 21 s in the 50 m freestyle. Over a ∼2.5-year period, the following assessments were obtained: external training load, competitive performance, instantaneous swimming speed, tethered force, dry-land maximal dynamic strength in bench press, pull-up and back squat and body composition. From 2014 to 2016, the athlete dropped 3.3% of his initial best time by reducing total swimming time (i.e. the total time minus 15-m start time – from 17.07 s to 16.21 s) and improving the stroke length (from 1.83 m to 2.00 m). Dry-land strength (bench press: 27.3%, pull-up: 9.1% and back squat: 37.5%) and tethered force (impulse: 30.5%) increased. Competitive performance was associated to average (r = −0.82, p = 0.001) and peak speeds (r = −0.71; p = 0.009) and to lean body mass (r = −0.55; p = 0.03), which increased in the first year and remained stable thereafter. External training load presented a polarized pattern in all training seasons. This swimmer reached the sub-22 s mark by reducing total swimming time, which was effected by a longer stroke length. He also considerably improved his dry-land strength and tethered force levels likely due to a combination of neural and morphological adaptations.

Swimming turn performance: the distinguishing factor in 1500 m world championship freestyle races?

“…As the number of turns is twice as high in 1500 m short-course races (25 m pool length), turn performance may show an even larger effect on race results. While analysis of world-class athletes provides unique insights into human’s highest possible performance, such analyses are naturally limited by a small number of subjects [ 22 , 23 ]. Hence, performance at World championship level should be investigated based on individualized responses and case reports in addition to the assessment of mean values [ 24 – 26 ].…”

Specific and Holistic Predictors of Sprint Front Crawl Swimming Performance

“…Nevertheless, the selection of assessment indicators measured in the water is at least partly related to the activities involved in swimming competitions. Therefore, these indicators refer to race analysis ( Lipinska and Hopkins, 2017 ; Morais et al, 2019 ; Strzała et al, 2015 ; Veiga et al, 2016 ), spatial and temporal movement analysis ( Mooney et al, 2017 ; Strzała et al, 2017 ; Wadrzyk et al, 2021 ; Washino et al, 2019 ), or somatic and physiological traits ( Barbosa et al, 2019 ; Kalva-Filho et al, 2017 ; Morais et al, 2018 ; Strzała et al, 2019 ) as directly influencing a swimmer’s ability to produce power, propulsion force, and swimming speed ( Barbosa et al, 2015 ; Loturco et al, 2016 ; Olstad et al, 2017 ). When looking for appropriate tests of the power producing ability, resulting in propulsion force generation, one can state that tests of the upper extremities ( Dominguez-Castells et al, 2013 ; Morouço et al, 2011 , 2015 ; Santos dos et al, 2012 ) or whole body swimming are often chosen.…”

Variation in competition performance, number of races, and age: Long-term athlete development in elite female swimmers

“…It can be assumed that athletes were well prepared and specifically tapered for these races. However, multiple competitions are swum in the stepwise progression towards peak performance [11,12] and preparatory races may add an essential component to longterm athlete development based on psychological and physiological considerations [13][14][15][16][17]. Specific skill acquisition and experience, that comes with participation in high-level international competitions, seem to improve success chances in later stages of an athlete's career [18,19].…”