scholarly journals The Effect of Course Length on Individual Medley Swimming Performance in National and International Athletes

2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 187-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathias Wolfrum ◽  
Christoph Alexander Rüst ◽  
Thomas Rosemann ◽  
Romuald Lepers ◽  
Beat Knechtle

Abstract Effects of course length (25 m versus 50 m) and advances in performance of individual medley swimming were examined for men and women in Swiss national competitions and FINA World Championships during 2000-2011. Linear regression and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyse 200 m and 400 m race results for 26,081 swims on the Swiss high score list and 382 FINA finalists. Swiss and FINA swimmers of both sexes were, on average, 4.3±3.2% faster on short courses for both race distances. Sex-related differences in swim speed were significantly greater for FINA swimmers competing in short-course events than in long-course events (10.3±0.2% versus 9.7±0.3%, p<0.01), but did not differ for Swiss swimmers (p>0.05). Sex-related differences in swimming speed decreased with increasing race distance for both short- and long-course events for Swiss athletes, and for FINA athletes in long-course events. Performance improved significantly (p<0.05) during 2000-2011 for FINA men competing in either course length and FINA females competing in short-course events, but not for Swiss swimmers. Overall, the results showed that men and women individual medley swimmers, competing at both national and international levels, have faster average swimming speeds on short courses than on long courses, for both 200 m and 400 m distances. FINA athletes demonstrate an improving performance in the vast majority of individual medley events, while performance at national level seems to have reached a plateau during 2000-2011

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Alexander Zingg ◽  
Mathias Wolfrum ◽  
Christoph Alexander Rüst ◽  
Thomas Rosemann ◽  
Romuald Lepers ◽  
...  

AbstractPurpose. Recent studies have suggested that the age of peak freestyle swimming speed is reached earlier in life in women than in men. However, no study has investigated the age of peak swimming speed in other swimming styles such as butterfly. The aims of the present study were to investigate the age of peak swimming speed in elite male and female butterfly and freestyle swimmers at the national level (Switzerland) and the sex differences in both the age of peak swimming speed and swimming speed for both swimming styles. Methods. Results of the elite Swiss swimmers between 2006 and 2010 were analysed using one-way analysis of variance. Results. In butterfly, women achieved peak swimming speed at 20-21 years in the 50 m, 100 m and 200 m, whereas men reached their fastest swimming speed in the 50 m at 20-21 years and in both the 100 m and 200 m at 18-19 years. In freestyle, women achieved peak swimming speed at 20-21 years for all distances. Men were the fastest at 22-23 years for both the 100 m and 200 m and at 26-27 years for the 50 m. In the butterfly, the sex difference in swimming speed was highest in the 50 m and lowest in the 200 m (14.1% ± 0.2 in the 50 m, 12.6% ± 1.0 in the 100 m and 8.7% ± 1.8 in the 200 m). Additionally, the sex difference in freestyle swimming speed was highest in the 50 m and lowest in the 200 m (16.2% ± 0.5 in the 50 m, 15.9% ± 0.4 in 100 m and 14.9% ± 1.0 in 200 m). Conclusions. These findings suggest that peak swimming speed was achieved earlier in life in men compared with women for the 100 m and 200 m butterfly distances but not in the 50 m butterfly. In freestyle, peak swimming speed was achieved at younger ages in women compared with men. The sex difference in peak swimming speed was lower in the butterfly than in freestyle.


Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 484
Author(s):  
Wasan Katip ◽  
Suriyon Uitrakul ◽  
Peninnah Oberdorfer

Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) is one of the most commonly reported nosocomial infections in cancer patients and could be fatal because of suboptimal immune defenses in these patients. We aimed to compare clinical response, microbiological response, nephrotoxicity, and 30-day mortality between cancer patients who received short (<14 days) and long (≥14 days) courses of colistin for treatment of CRAB infection. A retrospective cohort study was conducted in cancer patients with CRAB infection who received short or long courses of colistin between 2015 to 2017 at Chiang Mai University Hospital (CMUH). A total of 128 patients met the inclusion criteria. The results of this study show that patients who received long course of colistin therapy had a higher rate of clinical response; adjusted odds ratio (OR) was 3.16 times in patients receiving long-course colistin therapy (95%CI, 1.37–7.28; p value = 0.007). Microbiological response in patients with long course was 4.65 times (adjusted OR) higher than short course therapy (95%CI, 1.72–12.54; p value = 0.002). Moreover, there was no significant difference in nephrotoxicity (adjusted OR, 0.91, 95%CI, 0.39–2.11; p value = 0.826) between the two durations of therapy. Thirty-day mortality in the long-course therapy group was 0.11 times (adjusted OR) compared to the short-course therapy group (95%CI, 0.03–0.38; p value = 0.001). Propensity score analyses also demonstrated similar results. In conclusion, cancer patients who received a long course of colistin therapy presented greater clinical and microbiological responses and lower 30-day mortality but similar nephrotoxicity as compared with those who a received short course. Therefore, a long course of colistin therapy should be considered for management of CRAB infection in cancer patients.


Author(s):  
Beatriz Lara ◽  
Juan Del Coso

In 1500 m freestyle swimming races, pacing is generally represented by a parabolic or U-shaped curve indicating that swimming velocity is greatest at the start and the last laps of the race while swimmers maintain an even pace through the middle section of the race. However, there is no information to determine if 1500 m race winners select pacing different to other, less successful swimmers within the same competition. Therefore, this investigation aimed to describe the pacing strategies adopted by 1500 m freestyle competitive swimmers in World Championships (long course), from 2003 to 2019 to determine the most effective pacing to obtain victory or a medal. The official overall and split times for 1500 m freestyle races of the Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) were obtained from the website of this organization. In total, data of 143 swimming performances (71 male and 72 female) were extracted. With the split times, lap times, and position were calculated across the race. To determine differences in the pacing between best- and worst-ranked finalist, swimmers in each race were divided into four groups based on the final position (1st vs. 2nd vs. 3rd vs. 4–8th). All the lap times of the winners of the race were faster than those of participants classified as 4–8th position for men and women races (p < 0.05). However, there were no differences in lap velocity among the different positions achieved at the end of the race when it was normalized by average race velocity. Additionally, there were no differences in the lap-to-lap variability among swimmers with different positions at the end of the race. In summary, both men and women elite swimmers selected parabolic pacing consisting of a fast start in the first lap, an even pace close to their average race velocity in the mid-section of the race (from 50 to 1400 m), followed by an end spurt in the final lap(s). This pattern was very similar in all finalists irrespective of the final position in the race. Hence, the obtaining of a medal in the World Championships was associated to possessing a faster average race velocity rather than a specific pacing profile through the race.


1989 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 384-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. W. H. Beamish ◽  
J. C. Howlett ◽  
T. E. Medland

Juvenile lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush, of similar size were fed one of three isocaloric diets, each differing in protein and lipid content. Oxygen consumption and swimming performance were measured in a recirculating water flume at intervals throughout the 70-d feeding trials (10 °C). Swimming speed was increased by stepwise velocity increments (5 cm∙s−1) and oxygen consumption was measured at each velocity between 20 and 45 cm∙s−1. Oxygen consumption for a given speed did not differ significantly throughout the feeding trial nor among the diets implying a similarity in the quality and quantity of substrate catabolized for energy. Basal metabolism (0 cm∙s−1) was also independent of diet and feeding interval. Critical swimming speed increased with dietary and carcass protein content to suggest a direct association with muscle mass and number of myofilaments.


2008 ◽  
Vol 83 (8) ◽  
pp. 880-889 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew E. Falagas ◽  
Evridiki K. Vouloumanou ◽  
Dimitrios K. Matthaiou ◽  
Anastasios M. Kapaskelis ◽  
Drosos E. Karageorgopoulos

2015 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 1127-1137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leif Nøttestad ◽  
Justine Diaz ◽  
Hector Penã ◽  
Henrik Søiland ◽  
Geir Huse ◽  
...  

Abstract High abundance of Northeast Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus L.), combined with limited food resources, may now force mackerel to enter new and productive regions in the northern Norwegian Sea. However, it is not known how mackerel exploit the spatially varying feeding resources, and their vertical distribution and swimming behaviour are also largely unknown. During an ecosystem survey in the Norwegian Sea during the summer feeding season, swimming direction, and speed of mackerel schools were recorded with high-frequency omnidirectional sonar in four different regions relative to currents, ambient temperature, and zooplankton. A total of 251 schools were tracked, and fish and zooplankton were sampled with pelagic trawl and WP-2 plankton net. Except for the southwest region, swimming direction of the tracked schools coincided with the prevailing northerly Atlantic current direction in the Norwegian Sea. Swimming with the current saves energy, and the current also provides a directional cue towards the most productive areas in the northern Norwegian Sea. Average mean swimming speed in all regions combined was ∼3.8 body lengths s−1. However, fish did not swim in a straight course, but often changed direction, suggesting active feeding in the near field. Fish were largest and swimming speed lowest in the northwest region which had the highest plankton concentrations and lowest temperature. Mackerel swam close to the surface at a depth of 8–39 m, with all schools staying above the thermocline in waters of at least 6°C. In surface waters, mackerel encounter improved foraging rate and swimming performance. Going with the flow until temperature is too low, based on an expectation of increasing foraging rate towards the north while utilizing available prey under way, could be a simple and robust feeding strategy for mackerel in the Norwegian Sea.


2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. e93-e99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisette M. Wiltink ◽  
Remi A. Nout ◽  
Jochem R.N. van der Voort van Zyp ◽  
Heleen M. Ceha ◽  
Marta Fiocco ◽  
...  

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