I know they've been doing semi-finals in international meets (and U.S. Trials) for a couple of years now. Anyone ever heard a good explanation as to why? Trials and finals make sense, because everyone swims in the same pool on the same day, and the top 16 out of 100 or so swim head-to-head at night. But what do semi-finals accomplish? Seems like just another opporunity for the likes of Phelps and Hoff to sandbag, and another opportunity for everyone else to get tired before their race 'counts.'
