A.D.N Swim project (first European program for international swimmers) recently spent two weeks simulating Rio hours, in a bid to understand both the psychological and physical affects the late swim finals at this year’s Olympics could have on their swimmers. We spoke with Andrea Di Nino, Head Coach and Technical director at A.D.N to find out more.
Why did you have your swimmers simulate Rio hours?
The biggest issue facing swimmers in Rio, will be the timing of the evening finals. In fact, it will be the first time in a swimming competition, where the finals will be held at night, so will be a huge shock, both psychologically and physically. Performing at night (10pm), then sitting down to eat at 1am and sleeping at around 2am or 3am will take a toll on many, in particular to multi event swimmers, who could have a potential 6 nights of racing. We have simulated Rio hours in order to prepare our swimmers as best we can, for the physical and psychological effects.
What did you learn from the two weeks?
It was a surprise to learn that some swimmers actually swim faster at night, than during the day. We also identified, in terms of mood, who were morning people and who were night people. Some, for example, usually struggle to wake-up in the morning and…
