World records in Olympics swimming prelims- Impressive or a joke?

Weather isn't a factor. No pools are different like tracks are. What the other swimmers do doesn't affect you. You have to swim pretty hard every time because it's very difficult to see what others are doing. This is why WR are routine.

As swimming is not a natural movement, we are still figuring out the optimal way to do things from a technique standpoint. There are also rules changes over time, particularly in breaststroke where there's been a longtime debate on how closely it is allowed to resemble butterfly. (Up until the mid-80s, you were not allowed to have your entire head submerge under the water in competition, save on starts and turns)

Are there IQ competitions for the stupid. No, but swimming races for goofy, inefficient techniques are still contested. BTW, DT & SP are clearly different endeavors. You might do well if they had those special IQ tests.

Yeah, Einstein, let me know when someone wins the shot-discus double, huh?

Swimmers, how much of Peaty's advantage is just him being able to jump into the water more explosively, faster etc?

Also with respect to the medley race, that one seems most conducive to constant improvement.

Also do you go so hard in swimming that you sometimes hyperventilate? That seems scary

Oh yeah, also woukd the short events in this sport be dominated by American / Caribbean black people if they did it in larger numbers?

I have some doubts if this was a fully developed sport lwdecky would have been able to jump into the 4x100 relay. That would be like who, Bekele?, being on a world class 4x400?

When will it end? wrote:

Swimmers, how much of Peaty's advantage is just him being able to jump into the water more explosively, faster etc?

Also with respect to the medley race, that one seems most conducive to constant improvement.

Also do you go so hard in swimming that you sometimes hyperventilate? That seems scary

It is hard to hyperventilate in swimming as you can't just breathe when you want (aside from maybe backstroke - which for me is the hardest to breathe anyway cos of all the water going up ya nose), you're restricted to your stroke cycle. Or did you mean run out of breath?

Peaty is an amazingly strong breaststroker.

Another World Record in the swimming! I think it was women's 100m butterfly.

People still think that these world record's are as tough as track records and swimmers are just better than runners?

Metric Miler wrote:

Another World Record in the swimming! I think it was women's 100m butterfly.

People still think that these world record's are as tough as track records and swimmers are just better than runners?

Another World Record! These swimmers are so good. This kid has taken 1.4 seconds off the world record this year, be like Rudisha taking the 1:41.11 WR to 1:38.

Oh. That doesn't seem plausible. Maybe the WRs are weak....

Metric Miler wrote:

Metric Miler wrote:

Another World Record in the swimming! I think it was women's 100m butterfly.

People still think that these world record's are as tough as track records and swimmers are just better than runners?

Another World Record! These swimmers are so good. This kid has taken 1.4 seconds off the world record this year, be like Rudisha taking the 1:41.11 WR to 1:38.

Oh. That doesn't seem plausible. Maybe the WRs are weak....

Another WORLD RECORD!!!

Kate Ledecky smashed her record to swim 3:56.

What a sport I'm going to quit watching track and watch swimming instead.

These athletes are so much better than track athletes; can break world record's whenever, almost as if they are... easy?

One thing, I've not noticed many (any) Black/N.African swimmers? Hmm. Weird. Black people must not be good at swimming or something.

People have been running since they were australopithecines. Technique has evolved to be second nature and is very hard to improve on.

Swimming disciplines are a recent invention with a lot of room for improvement.

Some of it has to do with T&F just not having the athletes in the sport anymore. It used to be that there was a limited opportunity and $ for team sports such as soccer, American football, basketball, etc. In the last 25+ years we've seen a lot of money poured into these sports and the quality of runners that track gets now is very diluted compared to years ago. The lack of talent going into track and some super doped up WRs are the primary reasons WRs are hard to come by in track.

Metric Miler wrote:

Metric Miler wrote:

Another World Record in the swimming! I think it was women's 100m butterfly.

People still think that these world record's are as tough as track records and swimmers are just better than runners?

Another World Record! These swimmers are so good. This kid has taken 1.4 seconds off the world record this year, be like Rudisha taking the 1:41.11 WR to 1:38.

Oh. That doesn't seem plausible. Maybe the WRs are weak....

Why do you find a record 'weak' when the person beating it is the person holding it? Just because runners are too wussy to even attempt to break a world record, doesn't mean a swimmer who has previously held it has no chance of improving their own time.

Hindsight is 20/20, BUT his goal was probably to set the WR in the final. Setting it in the prelims without hitting the time he thought he was capable of was underwhelming. Look at his reaction winning gold setting the WR by almost 2 seconds, pretty amped. Also the new AR holder hollering his head off was pretty great to see too.

balding wrote:

Why do you find a record 'weak' when the person beating it is the person holding it?

Because he's a boob

BillyCanRun wrote:

Hindsight is 20/20, BUT his goal was probably to set the WR in the final. Setting it in the prelims without hitting the time he thought he was capable of was underwhelming. Look at his reaction winning gold setting the WR by almost 2 seconds, pretty amped. Also the new AR holder hollering his head off was pretty great to see too.

Did not break it by 2 seconds. .4 seconds, I believe.

This... especially Fly and Breaststroke. Turning to look costs you time

Oh man wrote:

2) it's not easy for swimmers to gauge where their competitors are so they have to blindly push the pace, thinking their competitor two lanes down might be ahead.

Just think how boring swimming would be if swimmers just paddled around a bit until someone decided to push the pace near the end.

Better starting blocks, foot wedge in backstroke. Better lane lines to cut turbulence.