Swimming
Swimming is the way humans move themselves quickly through water. It is a popular activity in hot countries. It is also popular in areas with natural watercourses such as rivers, canals and lakes.
Swimming is also a competitive sport. Normally there are four types of swimming in competitions:
|
Freestyle - the swimmers can swim any way they want. But nearly every
swimmer uses the front crawl. This is normally the fastest way to swim.
|
|
|
|
Butterfly - the swimmers pull their arms out of the water
together. They need very good balance. The butterfly is the hardest of the
four strokes.
|
|
|
|
Breaststroke - the swimmers hands must be pushed forward together
from the breast (chest) At the same time the elbows must stay under the
water. It is the slowest stroke in swimming. Swimmers must have strong
shoulders to swim the breaststroke, and the butterfly, stroke well.
|
|
|
|
Backstroke – the swimmers lie on their back. They swing their arms
back over their shoulder to move through the water. When one arm is in the
air the other arm is in the water. The swimmers’ legs kick up and down with
the knees slightly bent. Backstroke is easy to swim.
|
|
Images courtesy of www.wikipedia.org
|
Male Events
| Freestyle |
50m, 100m, 200m, 400m, 1500m, 4
x 100m relay, 4 x 200m relay |
| Backstroke |
50m, 100m, 200m |
| Breaststroke |
50m, 100m, 200m |
| Butterfly |
50m, 100m, 200m |
| Individual Medley |
200m, 400m |
| Medley Relay |
4 x 100m relay |
Female Events
| Freestyle |
50m, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 4 x
100m relay, 4 x 200m relay |
| Backstroke |
50m, 100m, 200m |
| Breaststroke |
50m, 100m, 200m |
| Butterfly |
50m, 100m, 200m |
| Individual Medley |
200m, 400m |
| Medley Relay |
4 x 100m relay |
Swimming History
| 2500 BC |
Egyptian wrote hieroglyphics (small drawings) showing
swimming. |
| 400 BC |
Egyptians and Romans dived off cliffs as fun. |
| 36 BC |
Japanese Emperor Suigiu tried to get people swimming. |
| 78 AD |
Romans made swimming a event for men to meet at in Britain. |
| 600's |
Plagues stopped people from swimming during the Dark Ages.
People were scared they would catch diseases. |
| 1300's |
Knights learn how to swim in armour. |
| 1400's |
The church disapproved of people bathing naked. |
| 1500's |
Oxford and Cambridge University banned swimming. |
| 1600's |
Japanese Emperor Go-Yoozei said school children
should swim. |
| 1700's |
Sea swimming made popular by King George III. |
| 1800's |
Germany and Sweden developed acrobatic diving. |
| 1845 |
First swimming championship introduced in Sydney. |
| 1875 |
People started swimming across the English Channel. Captain
Matthew Webb was the first swimmer to achieve this. |
| 1885 |
First diving competition held in Germany. |
| 1892 |
First women's championship held in Scotland. |
| 1908 |
The Federation Internationale de Natation de Amateur (FINA) was
formed. They look after swimming and diving competitions all around the
world. |
| 1924 |
Johnny Weissmuller set 67 world records in many swimming events. |
Australian Commonwealth Games medal tally from 1930 to 2002
- 218 Gold medals
- 151 Silver medals
- 127 Bronze medals
- 496 Medals in all
Olympic Game World Records for Australian Swimming
| Event |
Competitor |
Time |
Date |
Location |
| 200m Freestyle |
Ian Thorpe
(Australia) |
1 min 44.71sec |
16 Aug 2004 |
Athens
(Greece) |
| 400m Freestyle |
Ian Thorpe
(Australia) |
3 min 40.59 sec |
16 Sep 2000 |
Sydney
(Australia) |
| 1500m Freestyle |
Grant Hackett
(Australia) |
14 min 43.40 sec |
21 Aug 2004 |
Athens
(Greece) |
4 x 200m
Freestyle Relay |
Australia -
Ian Thorpe
Michael Klim
Todd Pearson
Bill Kirby |
7 min 7.05 sec |
19 Sep 2000 |
Sydney
(Australia) |
Current and Recent Australian Swimmers
- Ian Thorpe
- Grant Hackett
- Michael Klim
- Matt Welsh
- Geoff Huegill
- Jodie Henry
- Leisel Jones
- Brooke Hanson
- Elka Graham
Australian Swimming Legends
- Dawn Fraser
- Shane Gould
- Murray Rose
- Kieren Perkins
- Susie O’Neill
Training Tips
If you want to become a great swimmer you have to train lots. Usually
swimmers train 6 to 12 times each week.
They would swim about 1000 to 2000 metres each time if they race over short
distances. Swimmers who compete in long races would practice swimming 10
kilometres each time.
They would practice two or three times a day. The very best swimmers would
train for six hours a day. Swimmers may also run, ride a bicycle and light
weights as part of their training.
Competition
Olympic swimming events can take 20 seconds to 15 minutes to finish.
The Swimmers Body
Usually swimmers are tall with strong arms, shoulders and chests. It is
useful for swimmers to be thin. This makes it easier to move themselves
faster through the water.
Health & Nutrition
Daily Recovery
The many hours of training makes swimmers tired. They need to eat more food
than other people to have more energy. They often eat straight after
training. This is very important if swimmers have to wait a long time until
their next meal.
Drinking during Training
Swimming very quickly actually makes people sweat. This is hard to tell
because swimmers are already wet in the water. So swimmers bring drink
bottles with them to the pool. Sports drinks can also give extra energy.
Swimmers need Iron
Many hours of training use up iron in swimmers’ bodies. Swimmers need plenty
of iron in their diet. They should eat both plant foods and meat that have
lots of iron in the same meal.
Staying Well
Swimmers can get sick if they use up too much energy training. Scientists
have found swimmers stay well if they do not get too hungry while training.
Sports drinks and a snack after training also help.
Australian Medallists
To view them please click on the following links:
Find out more about taking up swimming in:
Handy Links
References & Sources
- Dawn One Hell Of A Life by Dawn Fraser
- Australian & New Zealand Olympians: the stories of 100 great champions by Graeme Atkinson
- Champions of Australian Sport Swimming by Robert Hillman
- Kieren Perkins (Young Achievers series) by Beth Dolan
- Wikipedia