Commentary

Cold Water and the Mind Behind Speed There is nothing worse than one of those first outdoor summer practices in May when the air has not touched 80 degrees yet. The pool sits there cold. Colder than cold. Jumping in feels like punishment, and getting through the set becomes the hardest part of the d...

David Popovici, Jack Alexy Chasing World Record of Enigmatic Pan Zhanle in Men’s 100 Freestyle Like many world records in men’s swimming, the mark in the 100 freestyle stood untouched for years following the polyurethane suit era. In a two-year stretch when the suits were legal, the long-standing wo...

Can Anyone Track Down Sarah Sjostrom’s World Record in Women’s 100 Free? When Sarah Sjostrom became the first woman ever under 52 seconds in the 100 freestyle, her world record seemed unlikely to last eight days, let alone eight years. On day one of the 2017 World Championships in Budapest, Sjostrom...

The Art of a Negative Split: How the Tough Take Over Negative split. What does it mean? What is its significance? A negative split in swimming means the second half of the race is faster than the first half. It is a pacing strategy built around discipline. Start strong and controlled to conserve ene...

Leon Marchand Alone Atop 400 IM Rankings as Today’s Rivals Struggle to Make Inroads on All-Time List For Ryan Lochte, the best moment of his Hall-of-Fame career came on opening night of the 2012 Olympics in London. On that late July evening, Lochte declared his status - for the time being - as the w...

The Moments Before a Race and How to Prepare We all know the feeling moments before the starting sound comes from the officials’ tent. The muffled splash of a race finishing in the lane next to you, the hum of teammates talking between heats, an official’s whistle cutting through the noise and your ...

Summer McIntosh Dominant in 200 Butterfly as She Chases World Record, With Regan Smith the Clear No. 2 When she touched the wall to earn her third consecutive world title in the women’s 200 butterfly, Summer McIntosh made no secret of her displeasure. McIntosh had given chase to the oldest world rec...

Staying Motivated Through Holiday Training  The holidays are a time filled with warmth, festivities, and celebration. But if you are a swimmer, December and the holidays also come with something else: Holiday training. This time consists of long practices, tired muscles, early alarms, and a heavy st...

How NCAA Swimmers Navigate the 400 IM - Arguably Swimming's Hardest Race For sprinters, there’s no joy like the rush of energy that comes from a 50 freestyle. For distance swimmers, the grinding battle often generates a sense of pride. These are two very different swimmers, also training in vastly d...

A Swimmer's Guide to Chlorine Hair: How to Keep Your Locks Healthy Anyone who has swum since they were little knows the struggle of chlorine hair — dry, frizzy and bleached. “Swimmer hair” is a tell-tale sign in every group, the kind of signal that says, "oh hey, she definitely swims." From the outs...

Supporting Stars Break Out for Defending Champion Texas Men at Midseason The Texas Longhorns assembled a complete roster talented enough to win the NCAA team championship in men's swimming and diving in the first year under head coach Bob Bowman. The team defeated main rival California by 19 points ...

Virginia Shows Off Lineup Pursuing Six-Peat, With Claire Curzan and Anna Moesch Starring At the conclusion of the 2024-25 college swimming season, Virginia graduated two of the most accomplished collegiate swimmers ever. During her four years with the Cavaliers, Gretchen Walsh rewrote the record boo...

4 Reasons To Be Thankful For Your Swim Parents By Nicole E. Johnson Behind all of the hard work and dedication that swimming takes, there are swim parents who have stood by you and pushed you to be your very best. Most athletes would agree that they would not have come as far in their sport if it we...

Who Are You? 4 Swimmer Personalities Found on the Pool Deck Swim meets are pretty much the ideal place to people watch. Every swimmer prepares to race fast completely differently. This can all depend on your personality, your meet lineup, or even what kind of day you’re having. Yet every swimmer has...

Brian Goodell vs. Vladimir Salnikov: 'The Duel We Missed' Documentary Receiving Academy Award Consideration Documentary films, at their core, take a deep dive into a specific topic. They are detailed. They offer emotion. They introduce engaging characters and storylines. They take the viewer behind ...

How NCAA Champions Have Performed at Their Midseason Competitions: The Numbers Are Interesting As the weather begins to chill, the holiday season has arrived. It’s a time of relaxation and cheer, a break from the pressures of the world. That is, except for swimmers.  In the swimming world, the start...

Why We’re Thankful for Swimming  As Thanksgiving rolls around, swimmers, families and coaches across the country naturally find themselves thinking about what they are thankful for. Between the early mornings, the long meets, and the endless hours spent around the water, the sport has a way of shapi...

How Can Swimmers Deal With Adversity? As an athlete, you are always on display. Every time you go out to compete, you are under a microscope. Rivals assessing your results. Friends and coaches hoping for the best. Neutrals looking for an exciting race. It is a pressure cooker of an environment. Ever...

Luca Urlando, Ilya Kharun Setting Up Elite 200 Butterfly Rivalry in College and International Competition When he began his college career at Arizona State University, Ilya Kharun was already an internationally-acclaimed 200 butterfly, having surged down the stretch to tie for fourth in the World Ch...

Guest Editorial: Steps Away from Hall of Fame, Fort Lauderdale Honors Swimming’s Greatest Fraud By Daniel Slosberg If the City of Fort Lauderdale’s International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) ever completes construction of its new home, visitors will be able to learn about the sport’s greatest champ...