Aylin Post Successfully Defends PhD on ‘Demystifying Swimming Talent’

At InnoSportLab de Tongelreep, we are incredibly proud to announce that our colleague, Aylin Post, successfully defended her PhD dissertation, Demystifying Swimming Talent, on October 2 at the University of Groningen. Her groundbreaking research provides key insights into talent development in swimming, offering both scientific knowledge and practical tools for identifying and nurturing young swimmers on their path to the top.

Content

The Netherlands boasts a rich history of swimming success, with champions like Pieter van den Hoogenband and Ranomi Kromowidjojo. But what sets one swimmer apart from others on the path to international stardom? This central question is addressed in Aylin’s dissertation, where she explores the complex journey to elite swimming success.

Aylin’s research took a longitudinal and multidimensional approach, analyzing not only swim times but also underlying factors such as physical, mental, technical, and tactical abilities of swimmers. She compared the development of swimmers who reached elite levels (top 50 globally) with those who remained nationally competitive (top 50 nationally). Her six studies provide a detailed understanding of the characteristics and development patterns associated with international swimming success.

Key Findings

Early Performance as a Predictor of Success.
Aylin found that swimmers who eventually reached the world’s top 8 were already outperforming their peers from the age of 12. By age 14, they were ahead of swimmers who would go on to reach only sub-elite levels. For men, the difference between elite and top-elite swimmers became clear only after age 18, while top-elite women showed this distinction earlier.

In-season progress as a key indicator
Starting in their teenage years, swimmers who reached elite levels showed more progress within a single season than their peers. This in-season improvement emerged as an important predictor of future success, highlighting the need to track both short- and long-term development.

Pacing Behavior as a Marker of Elite Swimming
A notable discovery was the development of pacing strategies—how swimmers distribute their energy during a race. By their teenage years, elite swimmers demonstrated more evenly distributed pacing on the 200-meter freestyle, similar to the strategies used by adult elite swimmers. This was particularly evident among males from age 16 and females from age 13, setting them apart from nationally competitive swimmers.

Self-Regulation in Training as a Success Factor
Self-regulatory skills, such as reflecting on performance during and after training, played a key role in swimmers' success. Swimmers on track for elite status were more likely to use these skills, leading to more effective training sessions and greater in-season progress.

The Crucial Transition from Junior to Senior Levels
The transition from junior to senior competition is a critical phase for many swimmers. Aylin followed 29 Dutch swimming talents during this transition and found that those on track for elite status maintained and even expanded their lead during this period. Both male and female swimmers continued to develop across multiple areas, which eventually led them to the elite level.

Practical Implications

Aylin’s research offers invaluable insights for coaches and talent developers in swimming. Her performance benchmarks, based on historical data, allow coaches to better assess and guide young swimmers on their developmental journey. Her findings also highlight the importance of a multidimensional approach to talent development, considering not only physical aspects but also mental and tactical factors.

At InnoSportLab de Tongelreep, we are incredibly proud of Aylin’s contribution to our understanding of talent development in swimming. Her work aligns perfectly with our mission to integrate scientific knowledge into the practice of sport, and we look forward to applying her findings in our talent development programs.

Looking ahead

Aylin’s research emphasizes that there is no single path to the top. Successful swimmers are not just characterized by fast times but by consistent development across various areas, from mental resilience to technical skills. Coaches can use these insights to further enhance their guidance and help swimmers reach their full potential.

Interested in learning more about Aylin’s research? You can read her full dissertation, Demystifying Swimming Talent, here .

Congratulations Aylin, and thank you for your tremendous contribution to the scientific and practical understanding of talent development in swimming!