There have been so many world records broken at this short course worlds. The previous times were definitely not slow at all. What do you think is causing this surge in record-breaking performances?
SCM hasn’t been the focus due to the Olympic year. I believe the records are finally reflecting the current level of competition.
Gretchen Walsh in particular has never put major emphasis on SCM because of the college season, but she is outstanding in the short course format. It’s just that someone like her finally took a shot at it.
@Clare
100% agree. If the US swam SCM instead of SCY at the college level, these records would be more in line with present competitive standards.
Tavis said:
@Clare
100% agree. If the US swam SCM instead of SCY at the college level, these records would be more in line with present competitive standards.
Exactly! The NCAA has such a high caliber of competition. Non-Americans have tried to dismiss it, feeling superior because they didn’t have a direct comparison. Now, with a clear reference point, NCAA athletes and recent alumni are crushing it, which is logical.
The difference in turns and underwater skills shows who has competed at the collegiate level and who hasn’t. Even a talented swimmer like Summer McIntosh would perform significantly better if her skills matched those of NCAA swimmers.
@Daryl
The challenge with the NCAA, which contributes to the criticism, is the distance format. It’s an uncommon structure that no one else really competes in. I get that moving to SCM is complex, but SCY feels like a very distant third in importance compared to LCM and SCM.
@Clare
Don’t forget that COVID disrupted the usual four-year Olympic training cycle. Athletes were prepared for 2020, then the postponement to 2021 somewhat shortened their lead-up to 2024. The top athletes haven’t had a substantial block of time to focus on short course competitions for several years.
@Clare
Plus, there’s no better time to concentrate on SCM than right now, being 3.5 years out from the next Olympics.
I think kids today are training much smarter than we did in the past, and they are also eating better.
Moreover, it seems that more athletes are able to earn money from the sport, which should help them stay involved longer. Social media has boosted visibility for athletes in all sports.
@Corbin
This resonates with me. Our training mostly consisted of swimming a distance and sticking to a fixed interval. Techniques like starts and turns were only given a half-hour of practice right before a meet.
It’s a combination of Olympic-level fitness carryover, a solid lead-in with the World Cups, and this being the first major international competition after the COVID rescheduling. The craziest part is that some of the best swimmers aren’t even participating!
We probably would have seen more long course world records if the Paris Olympic Committee had provided a top-notch facility for the event. Companies like Myrtha Pools should feel a bit embarrassed about this.
@Oaklan
It looks like the depth was chosen based on the competition venue. This really calls for the organizing committee to have made adjustments beforehand that could have allowed for the quick removal of railings and a few rows of seats to elevate the faux deck and increase the pool’s depth. At the very least, by LA 2028, the venue will be huge enough that losing a few rows won’t make much difference if needed.
It’s a mixture of the Duna Arena likely being one of the fastest pools in the world and many top swimmers trying short course for the first time in a while or ever.
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Penn said:
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I agree it must be some sort of new drug that they haven’t figured out how to test for yet.
Could it be new suit technology? I’m not sure if anything new has been launched recently.
Is the pool new? Could it be the way the ‘jets’ or filtration systems are set up? Is the pool definitely 25m deep?
@Dez
As far as I know, no new suits have been released lately.
The pool has been in use several times before, and they measure the pool after every world record is set.
Valor said:
@Dez
As far as I know, no new suits have been released lately.
The pool has been in use several times before, and they measure the pool after every world record is set.
Did they change the water’s composition or chemicals? Maybe more saltwater or something that adds extra buoyancy?