Characteristics of an elite swimming start

Biography

Elaine Tor has been working at the Australian Institute of Sport in the Aquatic Testing, Training and Research Unit since 2010. In this time she has been heavily involved with athlete serving and has completed her Honours in swimming competition analysis. She is now a PhD Scholar investigating the main factors that affect the underwater phase of the swimming start.

Synopsis

The implementation of a new start block to competitive swimming has resulted in a new start technique being utilised. While aspects of this new technique have been previously assessed, there is a need to characterise technical factors in the new swim start and determine if differences exist between male and female athletes as well as between strokes. The aims of this study were to investigate how elite swimmers of both genders use the new start block, compare males and females and freestyle and butterfly start performances.