800m and 1500m free at the Olympics

All swimming distances are arbitrary. I'm sure there's some historical reasoning, but it still won't justify the selection of distances. Where's the 50m breastroke, the 150m freestyle or 400m backstroke? Why are pools 50m instead of 60m? Why not a 3000m freestyle? Because a decision had to be made somewhere and it's what we're stuck with. It's like asking why are American football fields 100 yards instead of 120? It is what it is. There will be those who talk about time constraints for a meet or how the consititution of women may have been viewed as weaker (way back when) so they only got an 800. In the end, you have to choose from what's available and the selection of events never pretended to be rationally justified. By the way, I'm the world record holder in the 112.5m butterfrog, so I'm like an authority on these things.

All swimming distances are arbitrary. I'm sure there's some historical reasoning, but it still won't justify the selection of distances. Where's the 50m breastroke, the 150m freestyle or 400m backstroke? Why are pools 50m instead of 60m? Why not a 3000m freestyle? Because a decision had to be made somewhere and it's what we're stuck with. It's like asking why are American football fields 100 yards instead of 120? It is what it is. There will be those who talk about time constraints for a meet or how the consititution of women may have been viewed as weaker (way back when) so they only got an 800. In the end, you have to choose from what's available and the selection of events never pretended to be rationally justified. By the way, I'm the world record holder in the 112.5m butterfrog, so I'm like an authority on these things.