6'1" and 46.1 during my last year in college (1990); went 47.1 four straight years subsequent at masters meets and averaging about 47.5-47.8 for the last 6-8. Still convinced that if I swam more than 2-3 days a week and found one hour three times a week to lift weights, I could break :47. We'll see.
6'0" and went 48+ my freshman year in college ('77) and never swam it again. Now, I think I am doing 52's, though it ain't my stroke.
But seriously, I think you will find in this and in a more representative survey, that freestyle sprinters are almost all taller than average. Biology may not be destiny when it comes to swimming, but it certainly points the way.
6' 1" starting to shrink to 6' 1/2"; age 49; best time as masters (two years ago): 52.09; most recent 100 free: 52.46
Height probably matters a little, but it's only one of multiple factors. at the Y nationals in ft. lauderdale, there was one average-height guy (I won't mention his name) who seemed to me to have a completely non-swimmers body but was blindingly fast and had the endurance of canadian goose flying from canada to south america without stopping...
strength and flexibility and technique--plus the unseeen legions of fast and slow twitch muscles beneathe the skin--probably are much more significant factors than height.
Originally posted by Philip Arcuni
But seriously, I think you will find in this and in a more representative survey, that freestyle sprinters are almost all taller than average. Biology may not be destiny when it comes to swimming, but it certainly points the way.
Almost all Fr sprinters are taller, or are they all taller?
6'1/2", 52 years old, swam 49.9 in 1970...swam 54:6 with artificial hip in 1997 as Masters Swimmer. I am not a sprinter due to my inability to explode off the blocks with my artificial right hip.
I agree with Phillip's assessment of biology playing a major role in sprinting success. Having said that, there are always exceptions to the rule.
Tom, it was the mention of your artificial hip that lured me into posting here. Having received a new hip in 1999, I thought we could have two artificial hip data points. (BTW, trying to stick to the subject of the thread, my new hip did not affect my height even though I could have used an extra 6” or so).
Since the 100 is really just the shortest long distance event, I will give my times for Sidewinder’s research based on the 50 (the real man’s sprint) The fact that I die at 60m/yds has nothing to do with it.
Even though it is embarrassing to have to admit, given that any decent swimmer between 13 and 53 can do better today, I submit my 1962 time for LC 50 meters of 24.9 at 6’0” for historical interest. (hundredths of a second didn’t exist then – ok, for the picky, they existed but we didn’t measure them) For those who think in yards, this translates into 21.66 according to the swiminfo.com conversion program.
Aside: Knowing that my turns in the SC 50 have always been an adventure, this conversion program may produce an optimistic SC yards time. (but I’ll take it)
In any case, this time may no longer even qualify as a sprint today; it is probably a good 50 split in Ian Thorpe’s 1500 or Jim McConica’s 200.
The latest data point is 39 years later, at Federal Way last year at age 60 where the LC 50meters was 27.87, converting to 24.24. No exact height measurement was taken on this occasion but according to my wife, I am shrinking daily, so I might have been lucky to be 5 ft.
Aside II: Although the swiminfo.com program may be optimistic, the ‘aging forecast’ program at n3times.com/swimtimes, which has come up before in the old forum, seems pessimistic. According to this program, my 24.9 at 21 predicts that I should only be doing 29.2 now. Considering that I did not swim a stroke for pretty well all those years between data points – this program is way off. (but good for the ego)
Originally posted by SupaFly
Almost all Fr sprinters are taller, or are they all taller?
If by 'tall' male sprinters you mean taller than 6'0", then the answer is there were and there are a few sprinters of extremely gifted success at the levels of World, USSwimmingNationals, NCAAs, High School and USMastersSwimming who are under 6'0". I can give examples if prompted; the 'norm' of the male sprinter profile seems to be way over 6'0", though, in the 6'5".
So, then the answer is: 'almost', not 'all'.
Myself I am 6'0"; within the context of having learnt to swim, and developed swimming fitness and technique after the age of 25, I have a lifetime best of 57.96; last year I swam 59.65, and I train to do better than that in the 2002ShortCourseNationals in Hawaii starting next week; I didn't develop as a sprinter though, I developed as a distance swimmer; I have the fast-twitch kick of a good sprinter, but unfortunately for me I developed a slow-twitch upper body, even if it is a strong one: in December, 2002 I was doing bench press repetitions of 290 pounds with my 162 pounds body weight, and in June 1998 I was doing bench press repetitions of 320 pounds with my then 158 pounds body weight.
Ian:
Swimming 27.87 in the 50 LCM free at 60 with a steel hip really impresses me! Nice swim...seriously nice swim!
I make pretty good turns with my fake hip, but not as fast as I could with a good hip. I get wall compression where I find myself stuck to close to the wall. When I get to close to the wall and I explode off the wall I risk popping my hip out of the socket. So, over the years I have learned to flip a tad longer away from the wall and let my momentum put me into the wall where I am comfortable making the flip turn.
Hey, enough tin man nonsense for one night....Again, great swim!
