Can somebody explain to me why the best swimmers are usually placed at lane 4 or lane 5?

Question

coz i always see Phelps at lane 4.

Answer 1

they put the best swimmers there so that everyone in the whole stadium has a good view of them.

Answer 2

Because it's the *least* turbulent area in the pool.   If you have ever ridden in a boat in a river or narrow channel, you can see the effects of this.  No matter how many times you turn around and go through the same area...the middle of the channel is always flat and calm.  This is because the wake from the boat breaks on the shore and does not come back.  Same goes with swimmers...since they also create a wake.  The wakes from all the swimmers break on the sides of the pool, making the outside lanes the most turbulent, and naturally making the *best* lanes the ones that are the furthest from the sides...lane 4 and 5.

Answer 3

I think they do that so competitors on both sides can see the leader.

Answer 4

they put the best swimmers in the middle of the pool because if you are in the outer lane all the wake from the other swimmers flows out to you off the wall and back out to the outer swimmer. so the outer swimmer gets the most resistance and the water is pushing against him so it adds to his time. so they put the swimmers who are most likely to wim the race in the middle so they have a slight advantage

Answer 5

The racers are placed, from fastest to slowest, in this order: Lane 4, 5, 3, 6, 2, 7, 1, 8.

That is based on entry times (personal best, within the required time frame - sometimes within the past year or two, depending on the level of the meet), if it is a prelim race.  At the Olympics, semi-finals and finals have lane assignments determined by the results of the preceding round of competition.  That is why some of the best conserve energy, swimming just fast enough to advance, with the hope of going all-out in finals.  Some of them nearly swim their way OUT of the competition, so you will, occasionally, see champions come from outside lanes.  The idea behind the lane assignments is that the fastest deserve the middle, where they can most easily observe both directions of the pool, and also, because the typical formation of such swims is like that of eagles flying, in a V, with the Lane 4 swimmer in the lead.  That lead creates a wake/rough water, as it filters out and behind the leader.  If you are the fastest, you are the only one to be cutting through smooth water.

At championship meets, even for age-group swimmers, the final three heats of prelims are CIRCLE seeded.  That means the fastest three swimmers are placed in Lane 4 of the last three heats, the 4th-6th fastest are placed in Lane 5, and 7th-9th are placed in Lane 3, and so one, for the top 24 seeds.  This is to give those top 24 equal chances of racing the fastest.  At the Olympics, the semis are circle seeded, too, even though there are only two heats of them.  The top 16 are place in lanes 4, 4, 5, 5, 3, 3, 6, 6, 2, 2, 7, 7, 1, 1, 8 and 8, alternating between the two semi-final heats.  It's a fascinating sport, and I never competed, as a swimmer.  =)  I hope this helps you understand a bit more!

Answer 6

"Swimmers and relay teams are seeded according to their heat or qualifying times so that the fastest swimmers are in the middle lanes of the pool and the slowest are in the outer lanes during the next round."  

The calmest water is located in the middle ... so those are the best lanes to be in!

Answer 7

thats the lane thats easist to swim in.  Same goes with track.

Answer 8

its their countrys lane

Answer 9

In heats, they order people from slowest to fastest going in the order, lane 8, 1, 7, 2, 6, 3, 5, 4. So the slowest swimmers are on the outside while the fastest are on the inside. So the better swimmers can get a better veiw of the fastest competitors.

Answer 10

Its just how its done. Then they usually finish in a nice V shape

Answer 11

so that it makes a triangle when they are racing

Answer 12

they are usually in lane 4 because the the people on the outer lanes have to put up with all of the water the middle lanes are kicking out and so on. its all to do with the physics and drag of the race.

hope it helped

Answer 13

It's the best place to be in the pool. Perfect temp., camera angle,...yeah it's cheating but welcome to country with dominance in the sport.  

Answer 14

The lane assignments are determined by where the swimmers finish in the preliminaries. The fastest swimmers from the previous heats are assigned the middle lanes.

Answer 15

The two fastest swimmers are put in lane four and five. One, so that they can see each other. Two, the lanes are in yellow because they are the lanes to watch because they are the fastest.

Answer 16

Its Because They Can look At All The Other Swimmers And See Where They Are So They Know If They Can Go Faster

Answer 17

because the waves from the inner lanes go towards the outside lanes which can slow them down. so since there is a more likely chance for the lane 4 or 5  to get a medal they put them in the faster lanes