Others may know too, but semi-finals were added to the Olympic program in 2000. Would it actually be more accurate to say that they were reintroduced in 2000? This is related tothe Phelps/ Spitz comparison. I seem to recall that semi-finals were part of the Olympic program in the 70's. But evrything I read says otherwise. Does anyone know the history of semi-finals in the Olympic program.
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Former Member
Skip, is there any reason though that they just take the 2 semi swims and order the results 1 through 16, rather than rewarding the swimmers for finishing high in their heat? I believe in track, placing 1-3 in your heat guarantees you move on, regardless of time. This takes into account that for a particular reason a heat may be faster or slower than the other. I'm thinking in swimming, your 200 events may be dictated by the pace of the race, rather than the time of the race. I remember when it was re-introduced, it was the first time I'd heard of a semi-final format where winning the semi-final doesn't guarantee you a spot in the final (unlikely, but possible).
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Former Member
Skip, is there any reason though that they just take the 2 semi swims and order the results 1 through 16, rather than rewarding the swimmers for finishing high in their heat? I believe in track, placing 1-3 in your heat guarantees you move on, regardless of time. This takes into account that for a particular reason a heat may be faster or slower than the other. I'm thinking in swimming, your 200 events may be dictated by the pace of the race, rather than the time of the race. I remember when it was re-introduced, it was the first time I'd heard of a semi-final format where winning the semi-final doesn't guarantee you a spot in the final (unlikely, but possible).
