“2024 Swim Revolution: A Turbocharged Journey from Day One!”

From the Beginning, the 2024 Swimming Campaign Was Characterized by Speed … and an Innovative Approach to the Sport

As the year turned to 2024, perhaps we should have anticipated it. The indicators – after all – were apparent. To begin with, we entered an Olympic year, which history tends to show is nearly always swifter than an average campaign. And when Kate Douglass shattered an American record in the 200-meter breaststroke during a January Pro Series event, the first domino fell.

At the very least, the last year has made it clear that the cover has been lifted from the speed box. The era of athletes peaking sparingly, with midseason and summer competitions being the most distinguished intervals, is behind us. Instead, fast times have become the standard, capable of being achieved at various points throughout the season.

Major events like the Olympic Games and World Championships will still deliver the finest performances. They are the yearly targets featuring all-in-one-place congregations of the sport’s elite athletes, who motivate one another to achieve elevated benchmarks. However, these international showcases will also be supplemented year-round by speed from events that were once mere preparatory meets.

In recent years, especially within the last 12 months, the mentality within the sport has transformed. Why must swift swimming be confined to just a few significant occasions? The answer: It need not be. An increasing number of coaches desire their athletes to maintain speed throughout the year, benefitting physically and mentally from such experiences.

Allow an athlete to don a tech suit and pursue a quick time during a Pro Series competition or in dual-meet contests. Let him experience swiftness in the water. Allow her confidence to soar. All this can result in improved practice endeavors and end-of-the-season achievements fostered by a novel approach.

“I believe that increasing the number of peak meets throughout the year has naturally evolved in our sport by observing experiences from other sports and recognizing that the swimmers we coach are indeed capable of performing at an exceedingly high level more frequently,” stated multi-time Olympic coach and Hall of Famer David Marsh. “Coaches understand that psychological and consistent emotional engagement from the athletes is often the primary factor contributing to maximum development in our highly measurable sport. Many of us coaches have discovered that providing more frequent focused meets aligns well with physiological, motivational, and even familial considerations.”

The reality is that swimming – overall – must embrace speed more consistently. In a sport governed by the stopwatch, elite racing is essential. Spectators desire to witness clashes between prominent stars and performances that do not stray excessively from world and national records. Pursuing speed not only benefits athletes and their confidence levels but also engages those who populate the stands.

At the Olympic Games in Paris, the racing was outstanding, with Frenchman Leon Marchand and Canadian Summer McIntosh showcasing the excitement. However, the quadrennial event is anticipated to be nothing less than remarkable, as it stands as the primary aspiration for the athletes skilled enough to gain an invitation.

The critical path forward is for multiple meets to embody an Olympic atmosphere, not necessarily through a grand spectacle, but reflected in the numbers displayed on the scoreboard. Achieving swift swims is unlikely to be uniform throughout the schedule of events, given that distance competitors necessitate greater training volumes. Nevertheless, a gateway has been opened, and the sport’s main stakeholders – athletes and coaches – have eagerly embraced the opportunity.

If speed continues to be evident throughout the year, rather than at sparse intervals, a chance exists for the sport’s advancement. Pairing that mindset with ongoing endeavors to enliven meet environments (light shows, music, unique events) could lead to unprecedented attendance spikes.

Reflecting on the past, 2024 could be regarded as a year in which speed was promised at more competitions than ever before.

Let us hope that this momentum endures.