I've often wondered why swimming doesn't have the equivalent of the decathlon in Track & Field. i.e 10 events swum over a 2 day period with points assigned to each performance. (For the women it's 7 events, but that's another story.)
If we were to construct such a decathlon, which events should be included and in what order? Note that these are all finals - no heats. (Unlike, track, I think that the women should swim the same 10 events as well.) Also, should we use only the pool swimming events, or should we include diving, open water swimming and, *shudder* synchronized swimming?
-LBJ
Parents
Former Member
Bear in mind in the athletics decathlon, their shortest and longest 'runs' are 100m and 1500m, that take ~10 secs and >4mins to complete. (Of course, athletes also compete in 5km, 10km and marathon events, but decathletes are spared having to run such distances.)
Compare that to swimming ... at the Olympics, the shortest event is the 50m, with the longest pool event being the 1500m .... that take ~25secs up to ~15 mins. (Again, open water events usually cover 5km up to 25km, but again, aquatic decthletes could be spared having to swim such distances.)
The moral .... surely a swimming decathlon of any sort should include both 50m and 1500m events as two of the 10 events to ascertain overall speed/endurance supremacy???
Bear in mind in the athletics decathlon, their shortest and longest 'runs' are 100m and 1500m, that take ~10 secs and >4mins to complete. (Of course, athletes also compete in 5km, 10km and marathon events, but decathletes are spared having to run such distances.)
Compare that to swimming ... at the Olympics, the shortest event is the 50m, with the longest pool event being the 1500m .... that take ~25secs up to ~15 mins. (Again, open water events usually cover 5km up to 25km, but again, aquatic decthletes could be spared having to swim such distances.)
The moral .... surely a swimming decathlon of any sort should include both 50m and 1500m events as two of the 10 events to ascertain overall speed/endurance supremacy???
