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Related Experiment Video

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A Rapidly Incremented Tethered-Swimming Maximal Protocol for Cardiorespiratory Assessment of Swimmers

A Rapidly Incremented Tethered-Swimming Maximal Protocol for Cardiorespiratory Assessment of Swimmers

Published on: January 28, 2020

Are there limits to swimming world records?

A M Nevill¹, G P Whyte, R L Holder

¹School of Sport, Performing Arts and Leisure, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom. a.m.nevill@wlv.ac.uk

International Journal of Sports Medicine

|May 31, 2007

Summary

Swimming world records for men and women are plateauing, with speeds showing a consistent 10% gender gap. This trend mirrors running performances, suggesting a stable inequality in elite athletics.

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Area of Science:

Sports Science
Biomechanics
Performance Analysis

Background:

Athletic performance records often exhibit periods of rapid improvement followed by plateaus.
Previous research in running suggests a narrowing gender gap in world records over time.
Understanding trends in swimming performance is crucial for evaluating athlete development and training methodologies.

Purpose of the Study:

To determine if swimming world records are plateauing.
To analyze the trend in the gender-based performance gap in swimming.
To compare swimming record trends with those observed in running.

Main Methods:

Logistic curve fitting (flattened "S-shaped" curve) applied to world record speeds.
Analysis of 100-m, 200-m, and 400-m front-crawl data for men and women.
Non-linear least-squares regression used for speed data from 1957 to present.
Calculation of the Women's/Men's world record speed ratio.

Main Results:

Swimming world record speeds for both men and women are exhibiting a plateau.
The ratio of women's to men's world record speeds has remained stable at approximately 0.9.
A consistent 10% gender performance difference is observed in elite swimming, similar to running.

Conclusions:

Swimming world record speeds have plateaued after a period of accelerated growth in the 1960s-1970s.
The stable gender ratio suggests a persistent 10% inequality in swimming performance.
These findings align with observations in middle and long-distance running, indicating a potential universal gender performance gap in certain athletic disciplines.