Research summary · Training and performance
Physical characteristics associated with swimming trial qualification
Researchers measured physical characteristics in 33 male swimmers in 2023, then compared 14 who qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympic selection trials with 19 national age-group swimmers who did not.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Prospective observational study
- Journal
- The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness
- Population / context
- Male competitive swimming
What the publication reports
Qualifiers had higher vertical jumps, averaging 61.9 versus 55.1 centimetres, and greater ankle plantar-flexion flexibility. Spinal alignment in the streamlined position and elevated-arm shoulder-extension strength did not differ clearly between groups.
Limits and interpretation
These associations do not show that increasing jump height or ankle flexibility causes qualification. The small male-only sample and potential differences in technique, training and events limit generalisation and do not support universal selection cut-offs.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Physical characteristics of Olympic trial qualifiers versus non-qualifiers in competitive swimming
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 42825628DOI: 10.23736/S0022-4707.26.17990-0Reader discussion
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