Why are kids faster now days?

These are in addition to the other answers. Goggles - When your eyes aren't burned out from pool chemicals, it's easier to train longer and farther and still get homework done. Swimsuits - good riddance to the ill-fitting swimsuits that trapped air and water and rode up and made it hard to feel the water flow around the body. Improvements in pools - waveeater laneropes, starting blocks, and electronic timing (the humans who manage the timing in meets can be very inaccurate). Changes in the rules allowing breaststrokers to dolphin off the start/turn, go underwater; allowing the backstroke flip turn. Innovations such as the underwater race and dolphin-kicking off walls vs flutter, the butterfly itself. Technique - more use of the core muscles, timing, more emphasis on holding a good line, better streamlining. Finally, mental. Once one swimmer proves that something is possible and breaks through a barrier, others also will follow.

These are in addition to the other answers. Goggles - When your eyes aren't burned out from pool chemicals, it's easier to train longer and farther and still get homework done. Swimsuits - good riddance to the ill-fitting swimsuits that trapped air and water and rode up and made it hard to feel the water flow around the body. Improvements in pools - waveeater laneropes, starting blocks, and electronic timing (the humans who manage the timing in meets can be very inaccurate). Changes in the rules allowing breaststrokers to dolphin off the start/turn, go underwater; allowing the backstroke flip turn. Innovations such as the underwater race and dolphin-kicking off walls vs flutter, the butterfly itself. Technique - more use of the core muscles, timing, more emphasis on holding a good line, better streamlining. Finally, mental. Once one swimmer proves that something is possible and breaks through a barrier, others also will follow.