What does it take to become an Olympic swimmer?

Since most of you know, the 2016 Rio Olympic games have taken the world by storm recently. Almost all of the attention of sport enthusiasts around the globe have been dedicated to this extraordinary contest of strength, speed and skill, myself included. The main attraction for most is the fast paced action of the Track events, the 100 and 200 meter dash in particular. This is by far the most talked about events and for good reason. It's easy to follow and the adrenaline fueled match of speed is over in a flash, However I've always been quite fond of another 100 meter race, the 100m Butterfly stroke.

Let me preface this by saying that I am a swimmer, and my recent resurgence in the world of competitive swimming made me realize just how demanding the sport can be, and that brings up a question. Just how demanding is swimming in comparison to other Olympic sports? The answer may surprise you. For today we're going to be comparing the 100m sprint with the 100m Butterfly. Upon first glance it might seem quite similar, running and swimming over 100m is essentially the same thing, right? Absolutely not. For one thing swimming 100 meters takes considerably longer than running it, the world record for the 100m sprint is 9.58 seconds. Comparing that to the 49.82 seconds of the 100m Butterfly, it's obvious that something must be very different. For one swimming can be considered much more difficult than running, because of the constant resistance offered by the water against your muscles while swimming, you may fatigue much faster that you otherwise would have while running. Another thing to consider is the technique behind swimming. Having improper technique can be seriously taxing on your body, because of the way it directly influences your movement through the water as well as the risk of serious injury. Maintaining proper form while swimming requires a lot of focus and physical strength, and while attaining mastery of a sprinting technique is an arduous task ,when compared to the mastery of the Butterfly stroke it may not seem so challenging.

In short, Being an Olympic level swimmer takes more than just a pair of swanky goggles and a shiny cap. It requires physical strength, endurance, speed and an element of finesse commonly absent from other sports. An interesting question to consider is, do you have what it takes to be an Olympic Swimmer?