LESSONS FROM THE ‘LYMPICS

By Wayne Goldsmith

The Olympic Games were an exciting swimming experience for all concerned. Athletes, coaches, swim fans alike loved the competition and to see the champions doing well.

 Now that the fanfare has died down, and the hype and the chants have faded, what can the average swimmer and coach learn from the Sydney 2000 Olympic swimming competition?

 First, Answer this swimming trivia question:

What do Susie O’Neill, Gary Hall Jnr, Kieren Perkins, Grant Hackett, Joanne Malar, Ian Thorpe, Michael Klim, Alex Popov, Ed Moses Jr, Hayley Lewis, Jenny Thompson, Peter van den Hoogenband, Petria Thomas, Penny Heyns and Geoff Huegill have in common?

 They are all Olympians. True.

They are all great competitors. Definitely.

They are all champion swimmers. Yes.

 Answer: They all got beaten in Sydney.

As great as they are, and as talented as they may be, these outstanding swimmers were defeated in the Sydney 2000 Games.

Generally speaking, less than 30% of swimmers competing at an Olympic Games manage to swim a Personal Best Time!!!

 Why? Why is it that some of the most talented athletes in the world are unable to swim fast at the Olympic Games?

There are many possible reasons for an athlete not being able to do their best at a major competition. Let’s consider a few.

 1.      Recovery:

Winning at the Olympics is not about doing one fast swim and picking up a medal. It is about racing to the best of your ability, RECOVERING completely, then going faster in the Semi Final, RECOVERING completely and going faster again in the Final.

Many swimmers, particularly those who swam PB’s in the heats and semis were unable to back up and match those times in the final.

An analysis of the Olympic results indicates that successful swimmers were able to recover well between events and between heats – semis and the final and do their best times when it really mattered. Over 94% of swimmers who won medals did their best times in the Final.

PRACTICAL LESSON: We know that long, slow swimming improves your ability to recover. The increased blood flow to the muscles, improved lung function and changes in blood chemistry all have an impact on a swimmer’s ability to recover from hard training and racing.

Racing fast is only one part of the equation. Quite often it’s not the fastest swimmer who wins, it’s the best recovered swimmer.

Also we believe that recovery can be improved by:

¨       Light massage after racing

¨       Warming down correctly

¨       Eating light foods like fruits after racing

¨       Drinking water / weak sports drink after racing

¨       Getting plenty of rest between events (including quality sleep)

2.      Racing the Race – not just one person.

Each race is different. A great athlete develops the skills and abilities to match every competitive situation they encounter in their swimming career.

Often the press build up the hype around a particular race so that people start believing there are only two people in it. In Sydney we saw Australia’s Susie O’Neill and Petria Thomas outraced by an American swimmer (Misty Hyman) for the Gold Medal. Michael Klim and Geoff Huegill also were defeated despite the generally held belief that it was a two man match race.

PRACTICAL LESSON: Swim your own race. There are eight swimmers in a final. Each one is capable of swimming the “race of their life” and winning from anywhere. Who would have thought that Kieren Perkins could have won in Atlanta from Lane 8? Every swimmer in a final is dangerous and can cause an upset.

That so many great “unbeatable” swimmers get defeated at Olympic level, is a lesson for all young swimmers…..EVERYONE IS BEATABLE. The biggest kid in your team, the fastest kid at your school, the tallest swimmer in your age group….all of them can be defeated. The only person who can’t win, is the person who believes that their opposition can’t lose!

3.      Race Pacing – A vital skill.

Racing hard takes a lot of energy. And the faster you race, the longer it takes to recover. This is even tougher in the HEATS/SEMI/FINALS format where athletes need to be at or near their best three times in 36 hours.

Intelligent swimmers swim intelligent races.

In tough events (and at international level it’s all tough) swimmers need to find the balance between swimming fast enough to get to the next round, yet not over race, ie swimming too fast, leaving themselves fatigued for their next swim.

In Sydney, it was noticeable that the swimmers who won finals, were those who carefully and intelligently progressed through the rounds with a steady improvement in speed and performance at each swim.

There are exceptionally talented swimmers who can break world records in Heats, Semis and Finals and get faster in each round of competition. For most “mortals” the three round format is as much about recovery and survival as it is about fast swimming.

PRACTICAL LESSON: Practice accurate pacing skills as a priority. Good swimmers aim to be able to swim 100 metres within 0.5 of a second of their target, goal or predicted time. This starts with accurate and precise pacing during workouts.

Plan your race strategy and target race time with your coach and hold that pace, regardless of the temptation to go faster and win the early rounds.

Not convinced?

Here’s a Good question: List the names of every swimmer who won a heat swim at the Sydney Olympics. How many did you get?

Now list every Olympic Gold Medallist in swimming in Sydney.

Which list is longer?

No one remembers who did the heat swim PB, UNLESS they also win the final.

4.      Psychological Stress

Many athletes can not do their best times at the Olympics because of the unique pressures of the competition environment. 4 billion people watching, large crowds, media, living in a village, usually competing on the other side of the world with different food, climate and language….it’s tough.

Is there anything that can prepare an athlete for this challenge?

One of the most unforgettable scenes from the Olympic swimming competition was the woman’s 200 Fly. As the competitors were introduced, and the camera moved in for facial close ups, the two Australian swimmers appeared tense, tight and stressed. Considering the hype, build up and pressure of the home Olympics and the expectation of a home crowd, the tension was understandable.

Then the camera moves in on Misty Hyman. She is smiling. She is relaxed. She is happy. She is enjoying the moment. She can’t wait to get into the water and compete.

In many ways, the race was already over.

PRACTICAL LESSON: Each swimmer handles pressure differently. You can see it in their pre race routine. Some sit quietly head under a towel. Some sit and talk with friends. Some listen to music. Some read. Some walk, skip, jump and keep moving.

Regardless of what you do to handle pressure, it is important that you learn what it is that gets you through the tough times well before the Meet.

The Olympics are the toughest of all sporting areas. The stress of Olympic competition can place unbearable pressures on athletes and coaches.

However, whilst nothing can guarantee success, it is possible to increase the likelihood of success by careful planning and understanding the demands of the competitive arena.