Has Swimming Become TOO Fast?

2025 ACC Swimming and Diving Championships

2025 SEC Championships

  • Dates: Tuesday, February 18–Saturday, February 22
  • Location: Gabrielsen Natatorium — Athens, GA
  • Live Results

This weekend at the ACC and SEC conference championships, we saw 5 NCAA relay records get broken. But they weren’t just broken by a tenth or a second or two… they were obliterated. They were demolished to the point that SwimSwam commenters were asking questions like “Has swimming become too fast?”

I am here to say that no, swimming has not gotten too fast.

I am also here to take a deeper dive into three of those records (Men’s 200 Free/400 Medley, Women’s 400 Medley) and dissect just how utterly disgusting they are after this weekend.

The best part of all of this? In just 4-5 weeks time, we will see all of these teams back on the blocks prepared to go fast again. Will we see more history made come NCAA Championships?

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Unknown Swammer
1 month ago

Seems similar to the “roll back the ball” argument in golf – with the current technology a lot of courses are too short to handle the pro-level men’s game. I’d say that with the athlete development and underwater focus – the SCY pool is so short that it has reduced sprint swimming to whoever has the best underwater kick.

Frank
1 month ago

This is about as close I can get to the topic, but what is that mesh wearable that swimmers like Dressel are starting to swim with on their wrist? I dont think I’ve seen a conversation about it yet.

MDK
1 month ago

No, I have become too slow 🤷‍♂️

Thomas The Tank Engine
1 month ago

Seeing the context, the more appropriate question would be:

“has American yards swimming become too fast”

Maybe. Maybe not.

But we know American swimmers collected 9 gold in Paris, which if we deduct the two new events (w1500 free and mixed medley) for equal comparison, USA won 7 gold, which is the lowest for DECADES.

So, it seems, the improvement rate for rest of the world is faster than USA.

Last edited 1 month ago by Thomas The Tank Engine
SwimmyJimmy
Reply to  Thomas The Tank Engine
1 month ago

If you look at US vs international competitors, US swimmers by far have the best underwater dolphin kicks. Take those turns away, they are not as competitive in long course events. I think you are spot on, SC swimming by far has become faster. Sw

Thomas The Tank Engine
1 month ago

Coleman’s hair is 🔥

CraigH
1 month ago

How is this an article? You literally ask a question and the say, “I’m here to say the answer is No.” And that’s it.

Friuti
Reply to  CraigH
1 month ago

There’s a video my man.

iLikePsych
Reply to  CraigH
1 month ago

Betteridge’s law of headlines is an adage that states: “Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no.

T Hill
1 month ago

Any idea is worth discussion pros and cons but maybe for our Pros post Olympics

A new page
1 month ago

A New dawn in World Swimming has arrived in ‘25, led by the 2 Js & 1 G, Jordan C.-Julian S.-Gretchen W. Let the Good times roll for all swim fans.

About Coleman Hodges

Coleman Hodges

Coleman started his journey in the water at age 1, and although he actually has no memory of that, something must have stuck. A Missouri native, he joined the Columbia Swim Club at age 9, where he is still remembered for his stylish dragon swim trunks. After giving up on …

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