I was watching the Jason Lezak olympic swim again and noticed that he got 46 sec flat in his swim. Now the WR for the 100M was set later by Alain Bernard at 46.94. Are relay times normally better and if so, why? Thanks.
Lezak also got a little draft advantage from the French swimmer. For a good part of his race he was in a perfect position to draft. Also I would argue you could get even more than .6 seconds from a flying start. Normal reaction time for a non-relay start is at least .7 seconds, so with a .1 second relay exchange you're gaining .6 seconds, but you're also getting the advantage of being able to step forward and swing your arms to gain additional momentum.
That said, Lezak had a sensational swim.
Lezak also got a little draft advantage from the French swimmer. For a good part of his race he was in a perfect position to draft. Also I would argue you could get even more than .6 seconds from a flying start. Normal reaction time for a non-relay start is at least .7 seconds, so with a .1 second relay exchange you're gaining .6 seconds, but you're also getting the advantage of being able to step forward and swing your arms to gain additional momentum.
That said, Lezak had a sensational swim.
