SHORT-DISTANCE FREESTYLE PERFORMANCE OF SWIMMERS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES AT THE SYDNEY 2000 PARALYMPIC GAMES

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to compare the short-distance freestyle swimming performances of male and female swimmers with an intellectual disability and to examine gender-specific differences in technique between the 50 m and 100 m freestyle events. Data were collected at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games using a video-based competition analysis procedure. Several performance variables were measured during the four phases (start, free swim, turn, finish) of each event. In general, men swam, started, turned and finished the race more quickly than the women. Although the men performed most race components faster, the strategies used by men and women changed in similar ways across the two freestyle distances.