Breaking the Myth That Relay Swimming Is Faster Than Individual Swimming

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 410-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrina Skorski ◽  
Naroa Etxebarria ◽  
Kevin G. Thompson

Purpose:To investigate if swimming performance is better in a relay race than in the corresponding individual race.Methods:The authors analyzed 166 elite male swimmers from 15 nations in the same competition (downloaded from www.swimrankings.net). Of 778 observed races, 144 were Olympic Games performances (2000, 2004, 2012), with the remaining 634 performed in national or international competitions. The races were 100-m (n = 436) and 200-m (n = 342) freestyle events. Relay performance times for the 2nd–4th swimmers were adjusted (+ 0.73 s) to allow for the “flying start.”Results:Without any adjustment, mean individual relay performances were significantly faster for the first 50 m and overall time in the 100-m events. Furthermore, the first 100 m of the 200-m relay was significantly faster (P > .001). During relays, swimmers competing in 1st position did not show any difference compared with their corresponding individual performance (P > .16). However, swimmers competing in 2nd–4th relay-team positions demonstrated significantly faster times in the 100-m (P < .001) and first half of the 200-m relays than in their individual events (P < .001, ES: 0.28–1.77). However, when finishing times for 2nd–4th relay team positions were adjusted for the flying start no differences were detected between relay and individual race performance for any event or split time (P > .17).Conclusion:Highly trained swimmers do not swim (or turn) faster in relay events than in their individual races. Relay exchange times account for the difference observed in individual vs relay performance.

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 501-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gareth N. Sandford ◽  
Sian V. Allen ◽  
Andrew E. Kilding ◽  
Angus Ross ◽  
Paul B. Laursen

Purpose: In recent years (2011–2016), men’s 800-m championship running performances have required greater speed than previous eras (2000–2009). The “anaerobic speed reserve” (ASR) may be a key differentiator of this performance, but profiles of elite 800-m runners and their relationship to performance time have yet to be determined. Methods: The ASR—determined as the difference between maximal sprint speed (MSS) and predicted maximal aerobic speed (MAS)—of 19 elite 800- and 1500-m runners was assessed using 50-m sprint and 1500-m race performance times. Profiles of 3 athlete subgroups were examined using cluster analysis and the speed reserve ratio (SRR), defined as MSS/MAS. Results: For the same MAS, MSS and ASR showed very large negative (both r = −.74 ± .30, ±90% confidence limits; very likely) relationships with 800-m performance time. In contrast, for the same MSS, ASR and MAS had small negative relationships (both r = −.16 ± .54; possibly) with 800-m performance. ASR, 800-m personal best, and SRR best defined the 3 subgroups along a continuum of 800-m runners, with SRR values as follows: 400–800 m ≥ 1.58, 800 m ≤ 1.57 to ≥ 1.48, and 800–1500 m ≤ 1.47 to ≥ 1.36. Conclusion: MSS had the strongest relationship with 800-m performance, whereby for the same MSS, MAS and ASR showed only small relationships to differences in 800-m time. Furthermore, the findings support the coaching observation of three 800-m subgroups, with the SRR potentially representing a useful and practical tool for identifying an athlete’s 800-m profile. Future investigations should consider the SRR framework and its application for individualized training approaches in this event.


2002 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 136-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gareth J. Smith ◽  
Edward C. Rhodes ◽  
Robert H. Langill

The purpose of this study was to determine if pre-exercise glucose ingestion would improve distance swimming performance. Additionally, pre-exercise glucose was provided at 2 different feeding intervals to investigate the affects of the timing of administration. Ten male triathletes (: age, 29.5 ± 5.0 years; V̇O2peak, 48.8 ± 3.2 ml · kg’1 · min’) swam 4000 m on 3 occasions following the consumption of either a 10% glucose solution 5 min prior to exercise (G5), a 10% glucose solution 35 min prior to exercise (G35), or a similar volume of placebo (PL). Despite a significant difference (p < ,01) in blood glucose concentration prior to exercise ( in mmol · L ’: G" 8.4 ± 1.1 vs. G5 5.2 ± 0.5 or PL 5.3 ± 0.4), no significant differences were observed in total time ( in minutes: G* 70.7 ± 7.6, Gs 70.1 ± 7.6. PL 71.9 ± 8.4). post-exercise blood glucose ( inmmol · L−1: G35 5.1 ± 1.1, G5 5.1 ± 0.9, PL 5.3 ± 0.4), and average heart rate ( in bpnv.G" 155.8±10.8, G5 153.6±12.6. PL 152.0± 12.5; p > .05). While not reaching statistical significance, glucose feedings did result in improved individual performance times, ranging from 24 s to 5 min in 8 of the 10 subjects compared to the placebo. These results were found despite significant differences in blood glucose between trials immediately prior to exercise.


1985 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph Mann ◽  
John Herman

Selected kinematic variables in the performance of the Gold and Silver medalists and the eighth-place finisher in the women's 100-meter hurdles final at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games were investigated. Cinematographic records were obtained for all track hurdling events at the Games, with the 100-meter hurdle performers singled out for initial analysis. In this race, sagittal view filming records (100 fps) were collected at the 9th hurdle of the performance. Computer generated analysis variables included both direct performance variables (body velocity, support time, etc.) and body kinematics (upper leg position, lower leg velocity, etc.) that have previously been utilized in the analysis of elite athlete hurdlers. The difference in place finish was related to the performance variables body horizontal velocity (direct), vertical velocity (indirect), and support time (indirect). The critical body kinematics variables related to success included upper and lower leg velocity during support into and off the hurdle (direct), relative horizontal foot position (to the body) at touchdown into and off the hurdle (indirect), and relative horizontal foot velocity (to the body) at touchdown into the hurdle.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad-Kamal Ghazali ◽  
Su-Anne Eng ◽  
Jia-Shiun Khoo ◽  
Seddon Teoh ◽  
Chee-Choong Hoh ◽  
...  

Burkholderia pseudomallei , a soil-dwelling Gram-negative bacterium, is the causative agent of the endemic tropical disease melioidosis. Clinical manifestations of B. pseudomallei infection range from acute or chronic localized infection in a single organ to fulminant septicaemia in multiple organs. The diverse clinical manifestations are attributed to various factors, including the genome plasticity across B. pseudomallei strains. We previously characterized B. pseudomallei strains isolated in Malaysia and noted different levels of virulence in model hosts. We hypothesized that the difference in virulence might be a result of variance at the genome level. In this study, we sequenced and assembled four Malaysian clinical B. pseudomallei isolates, UKMR15, UKMPMC2000, UKMD286 and UKMH10. Phylogenomic analysis showed that Malaysian subclades emerged from the Asian subclade, suggesting that the Malaysian strains originated from the Asian region. Interestingly, the low-virulence strain, UKMH10, was the most distantly related compared to the other Malaysian isolates. Genomic island (GI) prediction analysis identified a new island of 23 kb, GI9c, which is present in B. pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei , but not Burkholderia thailandensis . Genes encoding known B. pseudomallei virulence factors were present across all four genomes, but comparative analysis of the total gene content across the Malaysian strains identified 104 genes that are absent in UKMH10. We propose that these genes may encode novel virulence factors, which may explain the reduced virulence of this strain. Further investigation on the identity and role of these 104 proteins may aid in understanding B. pseudomallei pathogenicity to guide the design of new therapeutics for treating melioidosis.


1985 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph Mann ◽  
John Herman

Selected kinematic variables in the performance of the Gold and Silver medalists and the eighth-place finisher in the men's 200-meter sprint final at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games were investigated. Cinematographic records were obtained for all track running events at the Games, with the 200-meter performers singled out for initial analysis. In this race, sagittal view filming records (100 fps) were collected at the middle (125-meter mark) and end (180-meter mark) of the performance. Computer-generated analysis variables included both direct performance variables (body velocity, stride rate, etc.) and upper and lower body kinematics (upper arm position, lower leg velocity, etc.) that have previously been utilized in the analysis of elite athlete sprinters. The difference in place finish was related to the performance variables body horizontal velocity (direct), stride rate (direct), and support time (indirect). The critical body kinematics variables related to success included upper leg angle at takeoff (indirect), upper leg velocity during support (direct), lower leg velocity at touchdown (direct), foot to body touchdown distance (indirect), and relative foot velocity at touchdown.


Author(s):  
Matheus Silva Norberto ◽  
Ricardo Augusto Barbieri ◽  
Danilo Rodrigues Bertucci ◽  
Ronaldo Bucken Gobbi ◽  
Eduardo Zapaterra Campos ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Investigations of β-alanine supplementation shows effects on metabolic (aerobic and anaerobic) participation and performance on swimming by a possible blood acidosis buffering. Considering this background, the objective of the present study was to analyze the effects of β-alanine supplementation on metabolic contribution and performance during 400-m swim. Methods Thirteen competitive swimmers underwent a 6-week, double-blind placebo-controlled study, ingesting 4.8 g.day− 1 of β-alanine or placebo. Before and after the supplementation period, the total anaerobic contribution (TAn) and 30-s all-out tethered swimming effort (30TS) were assessed. Anaerobic alactic (AnAl) and lactic energy (AnLa) was assumed as the fast component of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption and net blood lactate accumulation during exercise (∆[La−]), respectively. Aerobic contribution (Aer) was determined by the difference between total energy demand and TAn. In addition to conventional statistical analysis (Repeated measures ANOVA; p > 0.05), a Bayesian repeated measures ANOVA was used to evidence the effect probability (BFincl). Results No differences and effects were found between groups, indicating no supplementation effects. Repeated measures ANOVA, with confirmation of effect, was indicate reduce in ∆Lactate (p: 0.001; BFincl: 25.02); absolute AnLa (p: 0.002; BFincl: 12.61), fatigue index (p > 0.001; BFincl: 63.25) and total anaerobic participation (p: 0.008; BFincl: 4.89). Conclusions Thus, the results demonstrated that all changes presented were evidenced as a result of exposure to the training period and β-alanine supplementation doesn’t affect metabolic contribution and performance during 400-m freestyle.


2018 ◽  
Vol 92 (15) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken Fujii ◽  
Yui Sudaka ◽  
Ayako Takashino ◽  
Kyousuke Kobayashi ◽  
Chikako Kataoka ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTEnterovirus 71 (EV71) is a causative agent of hand, foot, and mouth disease and sometimes causes severe or fatal neurological complications. The amino acid at VP1-145 determines the virological characteristics of EV71. Viruses with glutamic acid (E) at VP1-145 (VP1-145E) are virulent in neonatal mice and transgenic mice expressing human scavenger receptor B2, whereas those with glutamine (Q) or glycine (G) are not. However, the contribution of this variation to pathogenesis in humans is not fully understood. We compared the virulence of VP1-145E and VP1-145G viruses of Isehara and C7/Osaka backgrounds in cynomolgus monkeys. VP1-145E, but not VP1-145G, viruses induced neurological symptoms. VP1-145E viruses were frequently detected in the tissues of infected monkeys. VP1-145G viruses were detected less frequently and disappeared quickly. Instead, mutants that had a G-to-E mutation at VP1-145 emerged, suggesting that VP1-145E viruses have a replication advantage in the monkeys. This is consistent with our hypothesis proposed in the accompanying paper (K. Kobayashi, Y. Sudaka, A. Takashino, A. Imura, K. Fujii, and S. Koike, J Virol 92:e00681-18, 2018,https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.00681-18) that the VP1-145G virus is attenuated due to its adsorption by heparan sulfate. Monkeys infected with both viruses produced neutralizing antibodies before the onset of the disease. Interestingly, VP1-145E viruses were more resistant to neutralizing antibodies than VP1-145G virusesin vitro. A small amount of neutralizing antibody raised in the early phase of infection may not be sufficient to block the dissemination of VP1-145E viruses. The different resistance of the VP1-145 variants to neutralizing antibodies may be one of the reasons for the difference in virulence.IMPORTANCEThe contribution of VP1-145 variants in humans is not fully understood. In some studies, VP1-145G/Q viruses were isolated more frequently from severely affected patients than from mildly affected patients, suggesting that VP1-145G/Q viruses are more virulent. In the accompanying paper (K. Kobayashi, Y. Sudaka, A. Takashino, A. Imura, K. Fujii, and S. Koike, J Virol 92:e00681-18, 2018,https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.00681-18), we showed that VP1-145E viruses are more virulent than VP1-145G viruses in human SCARB2 transgenic mice. Heparan sulfate acts as a decoy to specifically trap the VP1-145G viruses and leads to abortive infection. Here, we demonstrated that VP1-145G was attenuated in cynomolgus monkeys, suggesting that this hypothesis is also true in a nonhuman primate model. VP1-145E viruses, but not VP1-145G viruses, were highly resistant to neutralizing antibodies. We propose the difference in resistance against neutralizing antibodies as another mechanism of EV71 virulence. In summary, VP1-145 contributes to virulence determination by controlling attachment receptor usage and antibody sensitivity.


2018 ◽  
Vol 111 (4) ◽  
pp. 249-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Cheng ◽  
Maura Twillman

The 2018 Winter Olympic Games will take place on February 9-25, 2018, in Pyeongchang, South Korea. One of the featured Olympic sports is figure skating. Jumps are an exciting part of singles and pairs figureskating events. View a video of the 2015 and 2016 world champion Canadian pair Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford performing their winning free skate at the 2016 World Figure Skating Championships (their side-byside jump entry begins at 1:07 in the video): http://web.icenetwork.com/video/topic/174637818/v571390583


1998 ◽  
Vol 55 (7) ◽  
pp. 1583-1590 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Ryan Gregory ◽  
Chris M Wood

Variation among individuals in specific growth rate (SGR), feeding, and two measures of swimming performance and their possible interrelationships were investigated in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) kept in groups on either satiation or half-satiation rations. Maximum sustainable velocity (Ucrit) was measured as an index of aerobic swimming performance and stamina (fatigue time in a fixed-velocity test at 6 body lengths ·s-1) as an index of anaerobic performance. Individual performance in both of these tests was found to be significantly repeatable. Trout fed on half-satiation ration exhibited significantly lower mean values of SGR and body size and higher levels of aggression-related fin damage, but no significant differences in stamina, relative or absolute Ucrit, glycogen content, or plasma cortisol. However, in these fish, there was a significant negative relationship between SGR and relative Ucrit, a significant positive relationship between SGR and stamina, and a significant positive relationship between SGR and total daily meal. None of these relationships were seen in fish fed to satiation. Plasma cortisol and tissue glycogen stores were not related to SGR. These results indicate that under the intensified competition of restricted ration, there are trade-offs between growth, feeding, and different types of swimming performance.


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