I am curious as to the majority view on who is the " Fastest human in the water ? ".
More specifically on what criteria do we base it on ? I followed Ion's link to www.swimclub.co.uk and started posting on their discussion forum. I have received a very hostile reaction there.
In the UK, Mark Foster bills himself as " The fastest Human in the water ". His basis for claiming this, is that he holds the world record in the 50m Short Course freestyle event. I felt that this was not fair to Popov and Hoogie as he had never beaten them head to head in any event and that they held the World Records for 50m and 100m Freestyle.
The angry response was that Foster was the fastest as his short course 50m is faster than the 50m LC record. I feel that this is a ridiculous comparison.
Do you agree with me ? Should we base that claim on the 50m Free or the 100m Free event, LC or SC ?
I am not welcome on their site, after only 4 posts, is that a record ?
I think, after living in North America for 12 years that I now have more in common with the mindset of Canadians and Americans than the British who IMHO don't seem to want to "be the best by learning from the best !".
BTW the standard of posts and discussion is much higher over here on the USMS site.
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Gareth, I read the discussion in www.swimclub.co.uk about Foster (GBR.) claiming to be the fastest human in water.
.) It is a flawed claim by Foster.
The conditions play a role on who is fastest:
(50 yards is about 45 meters, so one would slow down as the distance increases from 45 meters to 50 meters)
1) in a 25 yards pool, Tom Jager (U.S.) in 1990 and Anthony Ervin (U.S.) in 2002, both clocked 19.05 for the 50 yards free, which computes to the greatest speed recorded by humans in water at 8.640 kilometers/hour;
2) in a 25 meters pool, Mark Foster (GBR.) clocked in 2001 a 21.13 for the 50 meter free, which computes to 8.518 kilometers/hour;
3) in a 50 meters pool, Alex. Popov (Rus.) clocked in 2000 a 21.64 for the 50 meter free, which computes to 8.317 kilometers/hour;
4) when Matt Biondi (U.S.) recorded the second fastest 50 meter free in history at that time -1990- at 21.85, playing water-polo for Berkeley was keeping Biondi not racing for the ball in the 12 yards sprint at the beginning of each period, because on 12 yards sprints there was someone at Berkeley faster than Biondi.
12 yards, 25 yards, 25 meters and 50 meters bring different competitive conditions, so one wouldn't mix them altogether, but keep them apart.
Popov and Ervin race little in a 25 meters pool, Jager and others not at all.
Popov, Foster and most of the world, don't race in yards.
So, Foster's claim to be the fastest human is valid in 25 meters pools only.
Which is to say it is valid by default only, since the 25 meter is not standard.
All of the world races under the same standard conditions, the 50 meters pools.
In swimming, 50 is the smallest racing distance, so 50 is the event of the highest speed.
Under the only existing universal conditions, Popov is the fastest human in the water, when he swam the 50 free in a 50 meter pool in a world record.
.) Bill Pilczuk (U.S.) the new coach in Swansea, U.K., is like Mark Foster a dedicated 50 meter free sprinter;
Pilczuk sprints 50 meter free without breathing, and he claims that in the 100 meter free, breathing is throwing him off;
I think his best Long Course 50 free is 22.29, and 100 free is 52.xx;
he was working hard and long hours at improving his sprinting;
he progressed from being a freshman walk-on in the Auburn' swimming program, to being a world champion in 50 free in 1998;
.) "I am not welcome on their site, after only 4 posts, is that a record?"
I don't know.
I wasn't welcome here either, after a few posts.
Two years ago.
I was bragging about how my racing times were exceptional for someone who first swam in public at age 25 and joined a swimming club for the first time at 28.
(I am 44 now, and still bragging).
Exceptional times, because they were and are done without benefit from developing a swimming specific VO2Max as a growing teenager.
Unlike the champion swimmers in my USMS age group.
They are ex age-group swimmers, who developed then at its most possible potential, the swimming VO2Max.
I would say that your 4 posts and my number of posts from then, they are comparable, I guess...
.) "BTW the standard of posting and discussion is much higher over here on the USMS site."
It is ignorant, conservative, slow and boring here oftentimes.
I post in order to change this a little bit.
Gareth, I read the discussion in www.swimclub.co.uk about Foster (GBR.) claiming to be the fastest human in water.
.) It is a flawed claim by Foster.
The conditions play a role on who is fastest:
(50 yards is about 45 meters, so one would slow down as the distance increases from 45 meters to 50 meters)
1) in a 25 yards pool, Tom Jager (U.S.) in 1990 and Anthony Ervin (U.S.) in 2002, both clocked 19.05 for the 50 yards free, which computes to the greatest speed recorded by humans in water at 8.640 kilometers/hour;
2) in a 25 meters pool, Mark Foster (GBR.) clocked in 2001 a 21.13 for the 50 meter free, which computes to 8.518 kilometers/hour;
3) in a 50 meters pool, Alex. Popov (Rus.) clocked in 2000 a 21.64 for the 50 meter free, which computes to 8.317 kilometers/hour;
4) when Matt Biondi (U.S.) recorded the second fastest 50 meter free in history at that time -1990- at 21.85, playing water-polo for Berkeley was keeping Biondi not racing for the ball in the 12 yards sprint at the beginning of each period, because on 12 yards sprints there was someone at Berkeley faster than Biondi.
12 yards, 25 yards, 25 meters and 50 meters bring different competitive conditions, so one wouldn't mix them altogether, but keep them apart.
Popov and Ervin race little in a 25 meters pool, Jager and others not at all.
Popov, Foster and most of the world, don't race in yards.
So, Foster's claim to be the fastest human is valid in 25 meters pools only.
Which is to say it is valid by default only, since the 25 meter is not standard.
All of the world races under the same standard conditions, the 50 meters pools.
In swimming, 50 is the smallest racing distance, so 50 is the event of the highest speed.
Under the only existing universal conditions, Popov is the fastest human in the water, when he swam the 50 free in a 50 meter pool in a world record.
.) Bill Pilczuk (U.S.) the new coach in Swansea, U.K., is like Mark Foster a dedicated 50 meter free sprinter;
Pilczuk sprints 50 meter free without breathing, and he claims that in the 100 meter free, breathing is throwing him off;
I think his best Long Course 50 free is 22.29, and 100 free is 52.xx;
he was working hard and long hours at improving his sprinting;
he progressed from being a freshman walk-on in the Auburn' swimming program, to being a world champion in 50 free in 1998;
.) "I am not welcome on their site, after only 4 posts, is that a record?"
I don't know.
I wasn't welcome here either, after a few posts.
Two years ago.
I was bragging about how my racing times were exceptional for someone who first swam in public at age 25 and joined a swimming club for the first time at 28.
(I am 44 now, and still bragging).
Exceptional times, because they were and are done without benefit from developing a swimming specific VO2Max as a growing teenager.
Unlike the champion swimmers in my USMS age group.
They are ex age-group swimmers, who developed then at its most possible potential, the swimming VO2Max.
I would say that your 4 posts and my number of posts from then, they are comparable, I guess...
.) "BTW the standard of posting and discussion is much higher over here on the USMS site."
It is ignorant, conservative, slow and boring here oftentimes.
I post in order to change this a little bit.
