PARIS, France — There are some rituals swimmers perform before competing at the Olympics that often cause people watching at home to ask, "Why do they do that?"
Winter coats. Slapping their chests. Two swim caps. Here's an explanation of why swimmers do what they do even before they get into the pool at the 2024 Paris Summer Games.
Why do swimmers wear coats before a race?
This one is for the same reason you warm-up before doing a workout. Cold muscles are bad when you are about to do something athletic. The coats keep an athlete warm and their muscles loose, writes Temarie Tomley at Swimmer's World.
Typically, the looser a swimmer can be, the better chance they'll swim well.
How cold is the Olympic swimming pool?
Water temperatures for indoor swimming competition at the Paris Olympics needs to between 25 and 28 degrees Celsius or 77° to 82.4° Fahrenheit, according to guidelines set by FINA - the international federation that handles water sport rules and regulations.
Why do swimmers wear multiple swim caps?
There are two reasons for this. One is to keep the goggles secure. The other is because the caps are generally made of two different materials. The bottom cap sticks better to the head, but can wrinkle. The top cap is smoother, eliminating those wrinkles.
Plus, if a swimmer happens to lose one cap it shouldn't derail them too much. Earlier this week, a lifeguard in a skimpy suit - dubbed "Bob the Cap Catcher - became a viral star after diving into the Olympic pool to retrieve a wayward swim cap that briefly halted the Olympic swimming competition.
It's believed that the swim cap belonged to Emma Webber of the United States. The cap was spotted after the morning preliminaries were underway, halting the competition while it was removed from the pool at La Defense Arena.
Why do swimmers slap themselves before a race?
This is also mainly to help the warmup process. Slapping yourself can help increase blood flow. USA Swimming’s director of performance told TODAY he also believes the predominant reasons to be more psychological and routine based, giving Olympians a step-by-step process to get ready for their race.
While it's okay for swimmers to slap themselves to warm up, the Olympics draws the line if your judo coach slaps you - even if you say that's part of your pre-match process.
