HOW CHAMPIONS DO IT

Researched, produced, and prepared by Brent S. Rushall, Ph.D., R.Psy.

MICHAEL KLIM AT 25 m OF HIS GOLD MEDAL RACE AT THE 1999 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS IN SYDNEY

Michael Klim's time for this race was 52.49 seconds.

Notable Features

Michael Klim has gone on to improve on this swim with his new world record that is more than half a second faster than his time here.

This critical analysis might be questioned because Klim is such a dominant 100-m butterfly swimmer. However, as Michael Klim has demonstrated over the past two years, this is an event where significant improvements in the world record are possible. Given his phenomenal physical attributes, it is possible that Michael Klim could swim much faster if some of the "inefficiencies" commented on in this analysis were eliminated.

Most of Michael Klim's "inefficiencies" stem from his rigid arm recovery. Such actions cause excessive lateral forces that are evidenced at entry. Perhaps some slight bending at the elbow in the middle of the recovery would orient more kinetic energy forward. There possibly could also be some conscious elevation of the shoulders as the arms enter to produce a reaching forward action rather than a sweeping in movement.

Michael Klim

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