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How long to fast? Development and competition context in season-fastest swimming performances
Date
2026-07-09
Abstract
Each season, coaches must decide which competitions to enter, how many to schedule, and how to sequence them; however, competition programme planning remains among the least evidence-based areas of coaching practice. This study examined how the number of races and days to a season-fastest swim vary by age, competition level and competition format. An observational longitudinal design was used, analysing performance data from 116 elite and sub-elite Irish swimmers (72 male, 44 female) across 23 seasons (2011–2024), comprising 31,136 race-level performances and 11,288 season- events. Mixed effects two-part models (zero-inflated negative binomial for days-to-fastest; hurdle model for races-to-fastest) separated the probability of an immediate season-fastest from subsequent progression. Older swimmers required fewer races and fewer days to achieve their season-fastest swim, with the steepest developmental changes occurring from late childhood to mid adolescence. Long course seasons were characterised by later season-fastest performances in calendar days but required fewer race attempts than short course seasons. Seasons including National or International competitions were associated with 91% lower likelihood of achieving a season-fastest swim at the first opportunity (OR = 0.09), while season-fastest swims were over four times more likely to occur in multi-swim competitions (OR =4.26). When heats and finals were available, approximately 77% of season-fastest swims occurred in the final. The timing and location of season-fastest performances are shaped by developmental stage, competition level, and competition structure, rather than occurring randomly across the season. Coaches working with younger swimmers should plan for a longer competition window and interpret early-season performances with caution.
Supervisor
Description
Publisher
Sage
Citation
International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching p.p.1–13
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Powell_2026_How.pdf
Adobe PDF, 2.57 MB
ULRR Identifiers
Funding code
Funding Information
Sustainable Development Goals
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License
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International