At what age do pro swimmers reach their prime?

Question

At what age do pro swimmers reach their prime?

Answer 1

I'd say 24 and 25 is where one is really the strongest. You're old enough to have strength and experience and young enough to recover quickly from injuries and hard workouts. In track also this is around the age when most runners have their best year.

There are always exceptions though. Even the elite swimmers can have personal bests in their late twenties. But in terms of working hard and being able to train long, elite swimmers will scale it back when they get into their late twenties. When you get old, training smarter is more important than training harder.

Answer 2

My opinion (I don't have hard facts -- just years of observation):

Distance swimmers -- mid- to late teens

Middle distance - early twenties

Sprinters - mid 20's

Much of the reason that the ages are so young isn't physical -- it's cultural. Most people can't devote the money/time required for training past college. Since the restrictions for "amatuer athletes" has eased in the last 20 years, the average age of Olympians has gone up-up-up.