No 'I' in team: Americans and underdogs swim better in a relay

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-07-16 04:00

Australia; VIC; QLD; ACT

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If you’re swimming in a relay event, watch out for the underdogs and the Americans because they’re sure to shock you, according to Aussie researchers. The team analysed race data from 716 relay finals in 4x200m freestyle from 14 international competitions between 2010 and 2018. They found that compared to the individual event, the lowest-ranked swimmer in the team and American swimmers typically swam faster times in the relay events. They also found the true Gold medal is the friends you make along the way, because swimmers in general tend to swim faster in relay events than going solo. Other factors that were associated with finishing position included the team’s differential time (a theoretical measure of their combined potential), the world rankings of team members and the order of the swimmers. The researchers say these stats can help inform coaches on optimising team performance in swimming and other relay sports such as track running and cycling. It’s just like that movie with the baseball. Go sports!