Yes - one more time it's about the suit:
Here is a comparison to 2004 and what it took to make top 16 (top 8 for the 400) over the first 7 events:
2004 listed first then 2008 then the approx. % drop
400 IM - 4:24.8 to 4:21.0 1.5%
100 Fly - 1:01.29 to 59.97 2%
400 Free - 3:55.0 to 3:51.4 1.6%
400 IM - 4:49.57 to 4:43.2 2.3%
100 Br - 1:04.0 to 1:02.36 2.5%
100 Bk - 1:04.12 to 1:02.31 2.6%
200 Free - 1:51.1 to 1:48.76 2.2%
Ok - to be fair, people are getting faster, but I would guess at least a 1.5% drop across the board for the suit -- that is net time !
Parents
Former Member
it took a 1:47.0 to make the final of the 200. another thing that has changed a lot over the past 4 years is the infusion of money into the sport that allows good college swimmers to continue training at a high level after graduation.
if you look at the makeup of the top 10 finishers of the 200free, 8 of the 10 are out of college/professional and still swimming. in 2004, 3 of the top 15 were over 22. in 2000, 4 of the top 16, and those 4 had nowhere near the resources today's professionals have. in 2000, the average age of a top 15 qualifier out of prelims in 200fr was 21.3. in 2004, 21.8. in 2008, 23 even. we're seeing more swimmers with more resources, who are more physically mature. i think this has just as much to do with the time drops, if not more, than some swimsuit.
it took a 1:47.0 to make the final of the 200. another thing that has changed a lot over the past 4 years is the infusion of money into the sport that allows good college swimmers to continue training at a high level after graduation.
if you look at the makeup of the top 10 finishers of the 200free, 8 of the 10 are out of college/professional and still swimming. in 2004, 3 of the top 15 were over 22. in 2000, 4 of the top 16, and those 4 had nowhere near the resources today's professionals have. in 2000, the average age of a top 15 qualifier out of prelims in 200fr was 21.3. in 2004, 21.8. in 2008, 23 even. we're seeing more swimmers with more resources, who are more physically mature. i think this has just as much to do with the time drops, if not more, than some swimsuit.
