This is something I have been thinking about since the Olympics... at what point will it not be possible for human beings to swim or run any faster. There has to be a point where the human body just can't go any faster, no matter how much you train, what kind of things you put into your body (legal or not), etc.
I mean it isn't possible to swim a 400 IM, for example, in 2 seconds (at least I don't think it ever will be) so where does it end? And when will that happen?
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Former Member
I'm not sure what the probability of a tie really is but I think the point stands that going to a higher precision doesn't solve the fundamental issue. If it turns out that too many ties are occurring the format of the race should be changed, either you eliminate the 50m race or you have a best of three (best time of three or best average or ...) or .... If you did ever get to the point where multiple competitors tied to within 0.01s the factors that led to one winning over another would be uninteresting, you might as well toss a coin.
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Former Member
I'm not sure what the probability of a tie really is but I think the point stands that going to a higher precision doesn't solve the fundamental issue. If it turns out that too many ties are occurring the format of the race should be changed, either you eliminate the 50m race or you have a best of three (best time of three or best average or ...) or .... If you did ever get to the point where multiple competitors tied to within 0.01s the factors that led to one winning over another would be uninteresting, you might as well toss a coin.