3 Things to Learn from 2024 Worlds

Now that we’re a few weeks removed from 2024 Worlds, it’s time to take a look back on four things we can learn from the meet. 2024 Worlds was particularly unique because of many swimmers opting out of the meet with it being an Olympic year, so there’s lots to learn.

1) The World Is Full of Great Swimmers

Even with some of the biggest names in swimming missing, there were a boatload of fantastic swims. Semis and finals were filled with several different countries beyond the typical Australian and US swimmers, and even with absences, the times on many of the podiums were competitive with a normal World Championships. Because the very nature of sport focuses the attention on those who have “made it” to the top, we often forget about the hundreds of swimmers on the cusp of being on our screens at the Olympics, tenths or hundredths of a second short of qualifying for their national team, or making the final. 

This serves as a great reminder of just how much work this sport requires, and how even at the top, the best have to grind to stay relevant, just like every other swimmer.

2) The Top of the Mountain Is Never Ending

Many swimmers walked away from this meet with “firsts” in their career. Their first World Champs medal, first World Champs to compete at, first international final… the list goes on. And while many of these swimmers walk away from this meet with accolades that would make a normal person stop and stare at their resume, for many of those same swimmers, this is just another step along the way. Ahead of them are incredibly competitive Olympic trial meets, and then, if they manage to make it, an even more competitive Olympics. Being a World Champion is great, but as so many swimmers noted in their post race interviews, from their perspective, “it’s just a step in the journey of an Olympic year”. 

The next time you think about a cut or medal making or breaking your career, remember this meet for some perspective. Sure you can get the cut, but that same drive to get you to the cut will likely push you to want far more- and that’s ok.

3) Even the Best Have to Focus on Themselves

This meet was filled more so than most international championships with unknowns. Who would be swimming at the meet? Would they be tapered? Would they scratch certain events? Swimmers backed out of the meet at the last minute, relay lineups were shaky and ever evolving, and the US, normally a mainstay of international competition, didn’t even compete in all the relays. Despite this, the show had to go on. These swimmers had to race for themselves and stick to their plan, not knowing if the previous World Champion next to them was tapered or training through. Daniel Wiffen, Ireland’s first World Championships gold medalist, discussed using this to his advantage by purposefully taking races out slow, to lull his competitors into a sense of complacency.

These swimmers didn’t learn this internal focus at Worlds, though. They learned it at age group meets, dual meets, and practice everyday. So that when the lights were brighter than ever and the unknowns more consequential than ever before, they could turn the focus on themselves and what they needed to do to win.

Want More Help?

We all know that swimming can be really hard! And you may need help getting started with implementing little habits like these. That’s where we come in to help. At College Swim Connect, we connect you with experienced mentors: elite college swimmers who have figured this stuff out. They can guide you through and give you access to their own arsenal of tools that they’ve carefully created over the years. Enter your email on our site and get started today with a free meeting!