Staunton Craig, Ruiz-Navarro Jesús J, Edholm Peter, Born Dennis-Peter
Department of Environmental and Bioscience, School of Business, Innovation and Sustainability, Halmstad University, Halmstad, Sweden.
Aquatics Laboratoty, Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
Front Sports Act Living. 2025 Jun 9;7:1600554. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2025.1600554. eCollection 2025.
This study examined tactical positioning and pacing in short-distance (100 m), middle-distance (200 m, 400 m) and long-distance (800 m, 1,500 m) freestyle events, focusing on the influence of race distance, competition round (HEAT vs. FINAL), and sex.
Race data from multiple World Championships (2013-2023) were analyzed. Spearman's rank correlations (ρ) were calculated to examine rank stability across race distances, competition rounds, and sex. Additionally, lane distributions of Top3 finishers were analyzed to assess the impact of lane position on race outcomes.
Rank correlations increased progressively from the first to the final lap across all race distances ( < 0.05). Long-distance events exhibited earlier rank stabilization, with correlations reaching ≥ 0.90 by 50% race completion, whereas middle-distance events showed greater positional variability throughout. Rank correlations were lower in FINALS than in HEATS ( < 0.05), indicating greater positional shifts in high-stakes races. No significant sex-based differences were observed ( > 0.05). Central lanes (4 and 5) were associated with the highest Top3 finish rates, while outer lanes (0, 1, 8, and 9) had the lowest, particularly in long-distance events.
Finals foster more dynamic race strategies, with increased positional changes. Rank stability was achieved at a relatively earlier proportion of the race in long-distance events compared to middle-distance events. By the final lap, rank stability converged across all distances, suggesting that race order was largely set before the last lap, emphasizing early tactical positioning over late-race surges. These findings offer insights into optimizing race tactics and pacing in elite swimming.
本研究考察了短距离（100米）、中距离（200米、400米）和长距离（800米、1500米）自由泳项目中的战术定位和节奏控制，重点关注比赛距离、比赛轮次（预赛与决赛）和性别所产生的影响。
分析了多届世界锦标赛（2013 - 2023年）的比赛数据。计算斯皮尔曼等级相关性（ρ），以检验不同比赛距离、比赛轮次和性别的排名稳定性。此外，还分析了前三名完赛者的泳道分布情况，以评估泳道位置对比赛结果的影响。
在所有比赛距离中，从第一圈到最后一圈，排名相关性逐渐增加（<0.05）。长距离项目的排名在较早阶段就趋于稳定，在比赛完成50%时相关性达到≥0.90，而中距离项目在整个过程中表现出更大的位置变异性。决赛中的排名相关性低于预赛（<0.05），表明在高风险比赛中位置变化更大。未观察到显著的性别差异（>0.05）。中间泳道（4和5）的前三名完赛率最高，而外侧泳道（0、1、8和9）的完赛率最低，在长距离项目中尤其如此。
决赛促使产生更具动态性的比赛策略，位置变化增加。与中距离项目相比，长距离项目在比赛相对较早阶段就实现了排名稳定。到最后一圈时，所有距离的排名稳定性趋于一致，这表明比赛顺序在最后一圈之前基本确定，强调早期战术定位而非最后冲刺。这些发现为优化精英游泳比赛的战术和节奏控制提供了见解。
