The things swimmers do for 0.01 seconds

Blink, and you miss it. 

What does a hundredth of a second cost the average person? Usually nothing. But for swimmers, it could be everything. 

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You might remember Michael Phelps' , out-touching Milorad Čavić by 00.01 in the 100m butterfly at the 2008 Beijing Olympics to secure his seventh gold of those Olympics. That win helped Phelps break the record of eight golds in one Games.

📝 CHECK OUT: Every DI women's swimming and diving champion since 1982

But races like this may happen more than you think. The sport uses a hundredth of a second as the smallest increment used to differentiate athletes in races, because once the talent level reaches a certain point, the margins can become that slim. Faster than a blink. Just ask Phelps.

Swimming is not only about beating the opponent next to you; it's also just a race against the clock. Something as small as a blink could be the difference between gold and silver, achieving a time standard or qualifying for a final. 

In fact, the athletes train for that blink. And like all sports, success falls in the preparation. 

Shaving

Shaving may be the most commonly known tactic.

Many collegiate swimmers actually avoid it for months leading up to their biggest competition, creating “drag” or resistance while training. So, when the day comes to pull out the razor (yes, this includes the arms, legs, and back), they can feel the effortless glide through the water. 

It’s more psychological than anything. Does it actually reduce drag? We don’t exactly know. 

But an experiment by the showed that this pre-meet tradition reduces lactate buildup in the muscles by 28 percent. 

It also removes nearly three layers of skin, causing the nerve endings to become more reactive. 

Breathing

Breathing (or not breathing) is one of the most important aspects of the sport. Swimmers are taught how to breathe in order to not slow down their stroke rate or rhythm. 

📺 WATCH: Gretchen Walsh breaks her own 100-yard freestyle record

Logan Redondo is the Director of Professional Performance and Data Analytics at Virginia, the nation's premier women's swimming program with five straight national titles. He knows why this skill is so important. 

In the 50-yard freestyle, breath control is critical, as athletes are often encouraged to hold their breath for most of, if not the entire 18- to 24-second race at the collegiate level (varying for men and women).

Redondo took Gretchen Walsh, the most decorated swimmer in NCAA history, as an example. He noted that the two-time 50-yard freestyle NCAA champion does not breathe while racing this event, and estimated that if she did, her time would see anywhere from a 0.1-0.3-second add. 

But if you choose to breathe, timing is critical. Redondo explained that breathing out of a flip turn should be avoided because it slows the momentum you gain from pushing off a wall, affecting your stroke rate. Again, emphasizing a 1-3 tenths of a second add.  

Caps

All competitive swimmers wear caps. Yes, even if you have short or no hair. 

Besides the obvious purpose of holding a competitor’s hair back to create optimal speeds, wearing a cap can reduce something called frontal drag force.

Basically, it keeps your forehead out of the way and makes your head a smooth point to cut through the water. The kind of cap you wear matters too, from latex and silicone to a bubble-like "dome" cap that reduces drag up to

You'll see Florida's Josh Liendo in a dome cap, claiming the 2024 NCAA 50-yard freestyle title by .02 over Tennessee's Jordan Crooks. 

Josh Liendo are you kidding me 🤯🤯

— Gators Swimming & Diving (@GatorsSwimDv)

Tech Suits

The vehicle that drives the whole production is the suit. 

Now, you may be picturing 2008 Michael Phelps at the Olympics with an ankle-length suit when envisioning a swimmer competing. Get that out of your head — those were banned in 2010. 

📜 HISTORY: Every DI men's swimming and diving champion since 1937

Swimmers' competition suits or “tech suits” are now knee-length for both men and women and are crafted to mimic shark skin. 

The skin-tight material used is hydrodynamic and helps buoyancy while the compression squeezes the muscles to minimize drag. Even though they are highly uncomfortable and can take up to 45 minutes (that is not a typo) to put on, they're worth it.

To get more of an idea, Virginia's Claire Curzan claimed the 2025 NCAA title in the women's 100-yard backstroke by just .01 over Bella Simms. Buoyancy is so important in backstroke, as the suits help swimmers stay on top of the water.

The Pool

Swimmers can look at a pool and label it “fast” or “slow.” No two are the same and the conditions truly affect your performance. 

Now, swimmers can’t necessarily control these conditions, but it’s still important to note. 

• The Depth

Depth affects both perception and performance in swimming. If the pool is too deep, reference points shift, making speed feel slower, like an airplane cruising at high altitude.

If it’s too shallow, waves rebound off the bottom and create turbulence. The calmest water comes at the Olympic standard depth of three meters.

• The Temperature

Most swimmers prefer a cooler pool while training and competing. If the water is too warm, the athletes are at risk of overheating while fostering low energy levels. But, if it is too cold, the muscles will tighten up.

⏮️ REWIND: Hubert Kos breaks NCAA record, secures 100-yard backstroke national title by .02

It is a delicate balance but the ideal temperature for a competition pool usually stays in the upper 70s. Trust me; it's colder than you think. 

• Lane Position

The middle lane is the most coveted spot in the world of swimming and is granted to the swimmer who holds the fastest time of the heat or event. This is why that .01 is so important — things like securing you the best position to compete.

The middle of the pool offers the cleanest water, while outer lanes experience more turbulence from waves pushed toward the pool’s edges by other swimmers.

At the collegiate level, epic moments are born from meticulous attention to the little things, habits that no one sees. The tiny details like shaving, how you breathe and what material you wear all add up for the perfect formula to compete.

Because in swimming, when the clock decides everything, even a blink could change history.