Seven Medals for Nothing

Medals for swimming cannot be compared with those awarded for any events in track and field. Swimmers cannot tire out because it was discovered years ago that a person can actually perform BETTER when blood contains lower levels of oxygen rather than on higher levels. Swimmers can work out for ten or twelve hours per day without any problem. The recovery time from a swim is very short, unlike recovery times for any dry land sport. The conditioning for swimmers is called "hypoxy conditioning" and is known world wide. It was developed at Indiana University by a guy named Councilman, a famous swimming coach, who trained swimmers by depriving them of oxygen. Alternate breaths up to 1 per twenty five strokes is used. A typical workout that allows a decreasing number of breaths per 25 strokes (first 25, four breaths; second 25, three breaths; third 25, two breaths; and only one breath on the final 25). Recovery training is also involved in swimming so that it is possible to recover very quickly and be at optimum performance within hours.

Quick recovery is simply a function of a well trained body, so occasionally a well trained super swimmer can swim at top speed seemingly forever.