Sports have been and will be forever changing. Whether that be rules, plays, ideals, or even athletes, there is always something that is adjusting to this fast-paced world. However, one sport in particular that has changed drastically is competitive swimming. Although many can argue and say that nothing really has changed regarding rules—the last major rule change that impacted swimming was a dolphin kick placement in the underwater breaststroke pullout so nothing extremely detrimental—looking at the athletes I can say otherwise.
These upcoming athletes have been out of this world, especially looking at the junior level (18 or under). Before, it was not uncommon to see these top-tier athletes run the show for years and years on end like Michael Phelps or Ryan Lochte. Don’t get me wrong, Katie Ledecky has been a freak of an athlete with her domination within the distance realm. However, we are beginning to see this shift of pace from this younger generation.
This shift is truly becoming evident with many athletes that I thought would stay dominant like how Michael Phelps had. Caleabel Dressel, Katie Ledecky, Lilly King, and many others are being beaten out by people as young as 17 like Summer McIntosh beating out Katie Ledecky in an upset at the Southern Zone South Sectional Championships with Ledecky losing her 13-year-old win streak.
As a past swimmer myself, I’m not entirely shocked by this. Just within these past two decades, there has been an increase in growth of interest revolving around this sport. This is mainly due to the publicity around it—especially around the summer Olympics time—and the health benefits that swimming provides. But because of this increase, that means a greater field of competition.
Swimming is also a physically demanding sport, with most serious swimmers doing two to three multi-hour practices a day along with some form of dryland (workouts outside of the pool). This along with the ever-growing competition has resulted in more athletes pushing themselves in order to achieve the dreams of our younger selves.
However, due to the pressure that many of these athletes are placing upon themselves, as they get older, they aren’t able to maintain the stamina or physical strength that they once had at an earlier age. So combined with the individuality, new techniques from younger athletes, and higher competition, we are beginning to see this shift within the world of swimming to younger generations.
I am also seeing this mainly now more than ever because of the 2024 Summer Olympics. Usually, I have a pretty good educated guess on who will be performing for the US Olympic Team, but within these four years (more like three years because of the delay due to the COVID-19 Pandemic) or even these past four months, I am truly unsure about who will make it.
Overall, swimming is a forever-changing sport but not in the way that many would see as changing. It is changing in pace toward athlete performance and reign rather than rules and regulations. Looking in, it will be a sport of just performance because it is anyone’s game, more so now than ever. It isn’t based on what someone did but on what someone can do from the moment the start buzzer blares off.
