Why are the swimmers so tall?

Question

It seems more like a pattern than a random occurrence.

I can understand why being 4'9 would help Shawn Johnson out a lot, but why are the male swimmers like 6'2+ and the female swimmers 5'9+?

Answer 1

If you're tall, you've also got long arms and legs. Adda power to every stroke and kick.

Also, everyone starts with their feet at the same spot, so if you're an inch taller than your competition, you've got an inch head start on touching the other side!

It reminds me of an old "Calvin and Hobbes" comic where Hobbes was celebrating a 0:00.00 pool lap-time in the kiddie pool, and Calvin says "A lap time of 'zero' isn't impressive when you're as long as the pool."

Answer 2

you only really see the tall ones because they have the most success because of their build. plenty of shorter men swim but you probably dont hear about it so much since they cant swim as fast as taller people.

Answer 3

because its good for a swimmer to be tall it gives them long legs

Answer 4

I don't know! But guess what? So I joined the swim team last summer, and while I've been actively swimming, my feet have grown 4 sizes in the last 2 months. And I've grown 2 Inches during that summer swimming season! I'm guessing that you're body adapts to the different position that you're in...like from walking upright, to swimming!

I don't believe in evolution, but I'm guessing at least this part is true!

Hope this helps! Good luck!

Answer 5

well having longer legs helps you swim better,

actually male swimmers usually shave there legs which also helps them swim faster and smoother in the water,  

Answer 6

The long arms and big feet can help them a lot. Just like a eagle can fly faster than a butterfly.

Answer 7

Yeah, basically being taller can mean longer strokes.. and with running, being taller can mean bigger strides.

Answer 8

A swimmer with long legs can swim faster in general, because their legs give them a farther reach than swimmers with shorter legs...and in track, a runner with longer legs can make bigger strides than a runner with shorter legs.

Answer 9

so they can reach the finish line first

Answer 10

because the taller you are, the less distance you have to cover on things like turns because with longer legs, its such an advantage on turns.

Answer 11

so they can swim less...

Answer 12

It gives them more power!

Answer 13

hah. wow. (:

Answer 14

because swimming is an all-rounded sport so it's working every bit of your body so your body streches more. (e.g. freestyle)

Answer 15

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Answer 16

Long arms give you the advantage of being able to hit the clock before your opponent, such as with Michael Phelps who only won by 1/10 of a second in one race, which could have been a loss if his arm was just a few inches shorter.

And legs and arm give you a bigger area, which means you can push more water to propel yourself forward, so it's a good trait to have but i have seen some swimmers who are only like 5'6 burning some pretty tall people.

Answer 17

From a physics point of view, longer things move faster in water.

Answer 18

good question.... being a swimmer myself i am pretty tall (5'7) and it really helps to be tall for it. but, you may or may not have noticed japanese swimmers are really short. whatever makes you get foward the fastest i guess.

Answer 19

They've got longer legs.

Basically, they go faster.

Mmhmm.