Swimming : Why no pure sprint event?

Former Member
Former Member
Full disclosure: I am a pure (i.e. "drop dead") sprinter :)] Watching Track & Field, I'm always struck how they offer what can truly be described as "pure" sprints: the 100m dash (and in indoors, the 60m). These are races that time sub-10 and sub-7 seconds at the elite level. Yet swimming's shortest race is 21 seconds (for the rest of us, quite a bit more than 21 seconds ...). I was speaking with some sprint swimming coaches who agreed that even our "splash & dash" 50 free is not a true sprint ... it's close, but the best sprinters actually back off a tiny fraction from their absolute max to maintain a greater speed overall. At my USMS level, the winning times are in the low 25's. There's no way that's a true sprint -- 25 seconds is not entirely ATP-fueled. And while it's mostly anaerobic, is it entirely? Certainly a sub-10 or sub-7 race would be. Time-wise, our 50 parallels Track & Field's 200 rather than their marquee sprint, the 100. In my fantasy world, I imagine a 25m race at the international level (swimming through the finish like Track & Field athletes) ... fastest reaction, fastest acceleration, fastest underwater & surface, fastest ABSOLUTE speed. Before 1988, our "shortest" Olympic race was the 100m!
Parents
  • I would drive 4 hours anyday for four 25 events. The reason why is because I wasn't gifted with vo2 max Come to Dallas in February for the third annual Republic of Texas World Championship. They race 25s of each stroke and tech suits are legal.
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  • I would drive 4 hours anyday for four 25 events. The reason why is because I wasn't gifted with vo2 max Come to Dallas in February for the third annual Republic of Texas World Championship. They race 25s of each stroke and tech suits are legal.
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