Commentary

A Parisian Party: Gold from Leon Marchand Enables Host Nation a Special Celebration The atmosphere inside the Water Cube at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing took appreciation of the sport to another level. The spectators offered rhythmic clapping, booming applause, piercing shrieks and plenty of wh...

Chinese Doping Controversy Hovering Over Paris Games Over the past three months, a significant doping controversy has dominated headlines thanks to recent revelations that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) months before the Tokyo Olympics but received no sanction. As athlet...

40 Years in the Making: The Evolution of Olympic Racing Suits from 1984 to 2024 Over the years, racing suits in the sport of swimming have evolved to continually push the boundaries of speed and efficiency. Initially, suits were simple, functional, and made from materials like Lycra and nylon. These...

Life for Olympic Swimmers and All of Us - Pain and Persistence By Charles Hartley, Guest Contributor Here in America, we value persistence. If someone gets knocked around, rejected by a friend, fired from a job, loses a swimming race, we want to see that person come back, keep trying, be resilient, ...

The Olympic-Watching Experience and the Role It Can Play for Viewers The Summer Olympic Games: A time when people from all over the globe come together to celebrate the world’s most talented athletes as they compete to be crowned as the best in their sport. The Olympic-watching experience can be des...

10 Hidden Benefits of Swimming Everyone wants to be an Olympic swimmer. But luckily, you don’t have to be an Olympic swimmer to benefit from the sport. People of all ages, from all backgrounds, and with various levels of experience can benefit from swimming. Swimming is one of the few sports you can...

Hallowed Hometowns of the United States' Paris Olympic Swimmers By Charles Hartley, Guest Contributor There’s a beautiful, patriotic, and down-to-Earth song called “Hometown” by Bruce Springsteen. If you’ve ever heard it, you’ll know exactly what I mean. It takes you right back to where you grew up,...

6 Reasons Why You Should Become a Summer Swim Coach  The summer swim season is over in some parts of the country, or winding down in others. But another season will arrive next year and maybe becoming a summer swim coach is something you have thought about. Here are some reasons why being a summer s...

By Bri Groves, Swimming World College Intern. As championship season approaches, take a moment to reflect on what you're thankful for in the sport. To add to your list, we've come up with 12 swimmingful reasons for you to appreciate your time in the pool: 1. We can eat what we want, when we want. Or...

Which Swimmers Are Heavy Favorites to Win Olympic Gold? Just two-and-a-half weeks remain until Olympic swimming begins, and there are plenty of races expected to come down to the wire in Paris. In the women's backstroke events, defending champion Kaylee McKeown of Australia will take on resurgent Am...

4 Characteristics That Define a Great Leader Sports grow athletes into extraordinary people and strong leaders. As a swimmer, you learn leadership qualities and skills that you will carry with you for the rest of your life. All teams have leaders, but great leaders are the people who make a differen...

By Kelsey Mitchell, Swimming World College Intern. The summer provides a unique opportunity for swimmers, as many get the chance to train and compete outdoors. The envy of all who swim indoors, outdoor swimmers love (and hate) these 15 things. 1. Air Quality For many swimmers, practicing outdoors me...

15 Truths About Swimming Swimming is a sport like no other. You learn a lot about yourself throughout your years as a swimmer and the sport inherently instills valuable life lessons in you. Even when your time as a competitive swimmer is done, you still continue to learn more about the sport and hav...

Why Summer Swimming Will Always Have My Heart By Nicole Farina, Swimming World College Intern (From the Archive) Sometimes on the first day of class, a teacher will ask you to describe yourself, or explain who you are to the group. My answer to this question hasn't once changed. "I'm a swimmer." I t...

A Look at Swimmer Muscles by Stroke By Bri Groves, Swimming World College Intern, in collaboration with the creator of Swim Science, Dr. G. John Mullen It’s no surprise that swimmers keep their bodies in peak shape and their commitment comes with an added benefit for fans. Not only can we watch them...

Her Confidence Booming, Regan Smith Ready to Take On the World A joyous Regan Smith climbed out of the pool, a smile radiating pride, bliss and relief stressed across her face, and she raised her arms to an adoring crowd. For the first time in five years, since she was a 17-year-old breakout star wh...

All sports teach athletes life lessons that they carry with them for the rest of their lives. Swimmers go through experiences that help them learn and grow not only as athletes, but as people, too. The sport of swimming teaches kids at a young age the importance of teamwork, time management, work et...

Olympic Relay Analysis: United States, China Set For Men's Medley Rematch The American men have never lost the 400 medley relay at the Olympics. Only the 1980 Games, boycotted by the U.S. and several allies in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, saw another country standing atop the meda...

5 Reasons Why Summer Swimming is a Beautiful Part of the Sport Experiences at USA Swimming meets, high school competitions and collegiate events are always meaningful. But there’s something special about summer age-group swimming, which can provide lasting value. With most summer leagues now wrapped...

Motivational Monday: Why the Olympics is So Impactful Among Youth Swimmers The Summer Olympics only come around once every four years, featuring the world’s most talented athletes. Swimming is known to be one of the most watched Olympic sports. The Olympics, as well as the Olympic Trials, are both v...