Commentary

Beyond the First Second: Mastering the Underwater Start The first second of a race begins on the block, but it does not end there. It may start the race, but the following factors write the story. A clean entry can give a swimmer the lead, yet it is only one piece of the equation. A swimming race is...

The Moment I Almost Quit I can still remember the exact moment I thought I was done with swimming.  It was the middle of a grueling practice, the kind where every set feels endless and your arms feel like they’re dragging cement through the water. I was staring at the black line on the bottom of the...

Virginia Women Kick Off Post-Walsh Era With Loaded Roster Pursuing Another Title On the way to a fifth consecutive national title last March, the University of Virginia women did not have to worry about maximizing every last point at the NCAA Championships. On the contrary, their win was a forgone c...

6 Meet Day Nutrition Strategies Swimmers Should Know Among the most important things an athlete can do is set goals, and with these goals come standards. Proper training, sleep, and nutrition are vital necessities for success in any sport. But balancing these priorities can be challenging when jobs,...

Can Women Beat Men in Marathon Swimming? By Daniela Navarrete, Swimming World College Intern. Swimmers have biological differences that affect their performance according to their sex. Women have lower hemoglobin levels, oxygen supply, and do not develop as much muscular power. Therefore, in sprint ...

A Look at the NIL Landscape in Swimming The NCAA approved Name, Image, and Likeness compensation in 2021, opening the door for collegiate athletes to earn money through endorsements and sponsorships. When it comes to NIL, football and basketball dominate the headlines. Swimming, on the other hand, d...

Los Angeles Olympic Qualification Procedures Present New Obstacles for American Swimmers Around the world, the qualification process for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles will look different than in previous years. Swimmers aiming to qualify for the newly-added 50-meter stroke events will have t...

14 Ways To Tell You Come From a Swimming Family By J.P. Mortenson Due to the sport's all-consuming nature, swimming inevitably becomes a family affair. And once your family becomes a swimming family, the sport will affect your home life in more ways than you could have ever imagined! Here are ways t...

The Importance of Qualitative Measures in Swim Coaching By Brad Jones In modern swim coaching, it is easy to become enamored with numbers. Stroke counts, power outputs, lactate levels, and spreadsheets can give the impression that performance can be fully captured in data. These tools are valuable, ...

Shame on Ben Proud for Damaging Legacy With Enhanced Games Move What a sad day for swimming. Ben Proud, whose results have made him the most consistent 50 freestyler in the world over the last half-decade, has committed to racing in the inaugural Enhanced Games next year — and he should be ashamed o...

10 Ways to Easily Spot a Swimmer As swimmers, we all know we have some defining traits. From the wet hair to the smell of chlorine, here are some surefire ways to spot a swimmer out in the wild. 1. Eau de Chlorine We all know this one. As athletes, we spend WAY too much time in the water, and we beg...

Are You Kidding? The Ridiculous Finishing Speed of the All-Time Top-Two Performances in the Men's 200 Backstroke As we await the start of the collegiate campaign and next month's World Cup action in North America, Swimming World will run a series titled, "Are You Kidding?" This mini project of short...

A Look at Swimmer Muscles by Stroke By Bri Groves, Swimming World College Intern, in collaboration with the creator of Swim Science, Dr. G. John Mullen It’s no surprise that swimmers keep their bodies in peak shape and their commitment comes with an added benefit for fans. Not only can we watch them...

By Chandler Brandes (From the Archive) Swimmers spend the majority of our time with our faces in the water staring at a black line lap after lap. Although we don’t get the opportunity to speak too often during practice, when we do get the chance to talk, we have a lot to say. In the rare instance wh...

Men’s 100 Backstroke: Pieter Coetze Leads Deepest Event in Men's Swimming For almost a decade, Ryan Murphy was an international stalwart in the men’s 100 backstroke, winning Olympic gold in 2016 and a world title six years later. He missed an international podium exactly once, by one hundredth of a ...

Hanging Up Your Goggles: The Ins and Outs of Retirement The only inevitability that comes attached with each part of life is that everything must come to an end. For a swimmer, this is no different. The number of considerations applicable to this point in a career are infinite. Some lose passion ext...

5 Hidden Reasons Athletes Stay Tired ... and What You Can Do About It Ever hear this at home? “Mom, I’m exhausted." "Dad, I can’t keep up at practice.” Or maybe you’ve seen your athlete dragging, moody, or battling one injury after another. You’re not alone. Fatigue is one of the top issues I hear f...

5 Reasons to Appreciate Your Coaches A new season is set to dawn for many swimmers around the country. Some have taken a summer break. Others have eased off the pedal over the past couple months. But the time to go full blast is once again on the horizon. A chance to set new goal times. The opportun...

Women’s Sprint Freestyle: Meg Harris and Marrit Steenbergen Won Gold in 2025 But American Looming The results from the women's sprint freestyle events at this year's World Championships show a pair of veterans claiming deserved, long-awaited gold medals. Marrit Steenbergen was world champion in the ...

Making the Jump: Tips for Student-Athletes Entering College  Starting college can be an overwhelming change. Starting college as a student-athlete can be even more overwhelming. As a freshman swimmer, you are about to juggle harder practices, tougher competition, and a brand-new lifestyle. It can fe...