Stability analysis and prediction of pacing in elite 1500 m freestyle male swimmers

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to analyse the stability of elite male long-distance swimmers (1500 m), and to identify the main predictors related to the pace. The performance of 16 elite male swimmers (22.59 ± 2.10 years-old) participating in the 1500 m event at the 2016 (London) and 2018 (Glasgow) LEN European Aquatic Championships were analysed. The lap performance, clean swim performance, turn performance, and a set of stroke mechanics variables were assessed. The lap performance presented a significant and moderate variation with all laps included (p < 0.001) and deleting the first and last lap (p = 0.002). Swimmers were significantly faster in the first half in comparison of the second. The total turn also presented a significant and moderate variation. The hierarchical linear modelling retained the time (estimate = 0.0019, p = 0.007), stroke frequency (estimate = −27.49, p < 0.001) and stroke length (estimate = −6.55, p < 0.001) as the main predictors of the clean swim performance. By contrast to the analysis based on the lap performance, clean swim performance presented a non-significant variation. Coaches should be aware that stroke length maintenance could negatively affect the clean swim performance, whereas a small increase of stroke frequency may present a meaningful enhancement of the total race time.

KEYWORDS:

• Swimming
• stroke mechanics
• competition
• performance

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Acknowledgments

To LEN (Ligue Européenne de Natation) and Spiideo AB for providing the videos.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This project was supported by the National Funds through FCT - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology [UIDB/DTP/04045/2020].