Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2017 Nov 1;12(10):1275-1284. doi: 10.1123/ijspp.2017-0230. Epub 2018 Jan 2.
Although the popularity of open-water swimming (OWS) events has significantly increased in the last decades, specific studies regarding performance of elite or age-group athletes in these events are scarce.
To analyze the existing literature on OWS.
Relevant literature was located via computer-generated citations. During August 2016, online computer searches on PubMed and Scopus databases were conducted to locate published research.
The number of participants in ultraendurance swimming events has substantially increased in the last 10 y. In elite athletes there is a higher overall competitive level of women than of men. The body composition of female athletes (different percentage and distribution of fat tissue) shows several advantages (more buoyancy and less drag) in aquatic conditions that determine the small difference between males and females. The main physiological characteristics of open-water swimmers (OW swimmers) are the ability to swim at high percentage of [Formula: see text] (80-90%) for many hours. Furthermore, to sustain high velocity for many hours, endurance swimmers need a high propelling efficiency and a low energy cost.
Open-water races may be characterized by extreme environmental conditions (water temperature, tides, currents, and waves) that have an overall impact on performance, influencing tactics and pacing. Future studies are needed to study OWS in both training and competition.
尽管近几十年来公开水域游泳（OWS）赛事的普及程度显著提高，但关于这些赛事中精英运动员或年龄组运动员表现的具体研究却很少。
分析有关公开水域游泳的现有文献。
通过计算机生成的引文查找相关文献。2016 年 8 月，在 PubMed 和 Scopus 数据库上进行了在线计算机检索，以查找已发表的研究。
在过去的 10 年中，超长耐力游泳赛事的参与者人数大幅增加。在精英运动员中，女性的整体竞技水平高于男性。女性运动员的身体成分（脂肪组织的不同百分比和分布）在水中具有几个优势（更大的浮力和更小的阻力），这决定了男女之间的微小差异。公开水域游泳运动员（OW 游泳运动员）的主要生理特征是能够在高百分比的[公式：见文本]（80-90%）下游泳数小时。此外，为了能够长时间保持高速度，耐力游泳运动员需要高推进效率和低能量消耗。
公开水域比赛的特点可能是极端的环境条件（水温、潮汐、水流和波浪），这些条件会对表现产生全面影响，影响战术和配速。未来的研究需要在训练和比赛中研究公开水域游泳。
