50 m freestyle women

[John]

Men and women tend to have different breathing patterns notably on fly.

Conventional wisdom is not to breath on 50 m freestyle as it isn’t a physiological requirement. However i’ve seen a few elite womens races where the eventual winner grabbed a breath around 20 m out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvJZi8lIpvIWomen's 50m Freestyle Final 🏊🏻‍♂️ | Tokyo Replays – YouTube

I’m wondering if their is a psychological effect where taking a breath creates a comfort and enables the swimmer to power on without losing technique so taking that one breath is on balance worth it…

I’m curious…

Discussion

[Gary]

With elite men and women in the 50 m freestyle sprint, it is either one breath or none. It is arguable which technique is better. Taking a breath slows the stroke rate and the swimmer momentarily, but the additional oxygen may help the swimmer through the final crucial meters.

Gary Jr. took a breath just outside of the flags in Athens (2004), then proceeded to take the fastest four strokes I have ever seen to win the gold. Manadou took a breath about the same location in 2016 and Anthony Ervin, without taking a breath, shot by him to win the gold.

So one breath or none? You decide.

Gary