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!
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.
As you can see he is a little slower getting to his top speed and doesn't have a large drop off. This is very rare.
He might not really have any drop-off. In Beijing he hit the brakes toward the end of the race.
Maybe 25's for 65+ year olds.
Everyone younger would dive and kick (or pullout) past halfway, then take a couple strokes and hit the wall. That's not really my idea of swimming, but whatever floats your boat.
I'd like to see 400's of stroke and an 800 im.
cringe
I could (SARCASM) really see myself sending in meet entries, driving across the state, $$$$ for gas and food and occasionally hotels, or flying across the country to dive in for :10-:11 seconds of racing. Sign me up...:bolt:
I live in indiana and drove up to mid wisconsin, stayed in a hotel and went to the pool the next day all for a single 50 free. if you enjoy what you do, what does it matter how far or how many events you swim. I certainly would do a drive for a single 25.
Why no pure distance event? The longest track event, the 10K, is almost twice as long as the longest pool swimming event.
State meets would run too long. :)
Maybe 25's for 65+ year olds.
Everyone younger would dive and kick (or pullout) past halfway, then take a couple strokes and hit the wall. That's not really my idea of swimming, but whatever floats your boat.
I'd like to see 400's of stroke and an 800 im.
I don't think there is any pacing, but most sprinters can't maintain their max speed either. I heard one announcer at some point (maybe during the Beijing Olympics) say that's what set Usain Bolt apart from the herd. His speed doesn't fall off as quickly as the other runners. It looks like he's kicked it into another gear, but that's only in comparison to the other runners, who are slowing down.
I would love to see the measured evidence of this, some sort of velocity v. distance graph for several elite sprinters.
S
I haven't got the London Games but this is Bolt's splits for Beijing in 10m intervals
1.85s
1.02s
0.91s
0.87s
0.85s
0.82s
0.82s
0.82s
0.83s
0.90s
As you can see he is a little slower getting to his top speed and doesn't have a large drop off. This is very rare.
