Born Dennis-Peter, Ruiz-Navarro Jesús J, Lorentzen Jenny, Björklund Glenn
Swiss Swimming Federation, Swiss Development Hub for Strength and Conditioning in Swimming, CH-3048 Worblaufen, Switzerland.
Department for Elite Sport, Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen, CH-2532 Magglingen, Switzerland.
Sports (Basel). 2024 Oct 9;12(10):272. doi: 10.3390/sports12100272.
To conduct a longitudinal retrospective analysis, explore the relationship between success at peak performance age and the number of different race distances athletes competed in each year (within-sport distance variety), and compare the dose-time effect of this distance variety throughout the development process between male swimmers and track runners.
Male swimmers ( = 6033) and track runners ( = 19,278) still competing at peak performance age were ranked, and the number of different race distances was extracted retrospectively for each year until early junior age (13-14-year-old category) from the databases of the European Aquatics and World Athletics federations. Firstly, correlation analysis determined the relationship between ranking at peak performance age and distance variety. Secondly, Poisson distribution provided the probability and dose-time effect of distance variety for becoming an international-class athlete at peak performance age.
Generally, correlation analysis revealed low coefficients ( ≤ 0.22) but significant effects ( < 0.001) for larger distance variety and success at peak performance age. Poisson distribution revealed the highest probability of becoming an international-class swimmer when competing in 2-4 race distances at junior age, depending on the primary race distance. The dose-time effect indicated a gradual reduction in the number of race distances as athletes approached peak performance age, narrowing down to 1-2, 2-3, and 3-4 distances for sprint, middle-, and long-distance races, respectively. Track runners exhibited a lower distance variety than swimmers, with a consistent optimum of 1-2 race distances across the age groups.
The present findings including data of the most combined race distances for each primary race distance and a comparison between swimming and track running provide new background information to challenge traditional training regimes and help establish new strategies for long-term athlete development.
进行纵向回顾性分析，探讨在最佳竞技年龄取得成功与运动员每年参加的不同比赛距离数量（运动项目内的距离多样性）之间的关系，并比较男性游泳运动员和田径运动员在整个发展过程中这种距离多样性的剂量 - 时间效应。
对仍处于最佳竞技年龄的男性游泳运动员（n = 6033）和田径运动员（n = 19278）进行排名，并从欧洲游泳联合会和世界田径联合会的数据库中回顾性提取直至初中早期（13 - 14岁年龄段）每年参加的不同比赛距离数量。首先，相关性分析确定最佳竞技年龄排名与距离多样性之间的关系。其次，泊松分布提供了在最佳竞技年龄成为国际级运动员的距离多样性的概率和剂量 - 时间效应。
一般来说，相关性分析显示系数较低（≤0.22），但距离多样性较大与最佳竞技年龄取得成功之间存在显著效应（p < 0.001）。泊松分布显示，在青少年时期参加2 - 4个比赛距离时成为国际级游泳运动员的概率最高，具体取决于主要比赛距离。剂量 - 时间效应表明，随着运动员接近最佳竞技年龄，比赛距离数量逐渐减少，短跑、中长跑和长跑项目分别减少到1 - 2个、2 - 3个和3 - 4个距离。田径运动员的距离多样性低于游泳运动员，各年龄组一致的最佳比赛距离为1 - 2个。
本研究结果包括每个主要比赛距离的最综合比赛距离数据以及游泳和田径之间的比较，为挑战传统训练模式提供了新的背景信息，并有助于制定长期运动员发展的新策略。
