Mind, this is only my extremely uneducated guess, but having swum in both spots, I can definitely tell you that it feels different to be in the middle or by the wall. I'd guess it has to do with the ripples your path through the water makes- in the middle, it's not bouncing off of anything as solid as a wall, so it's a lot easier to swim, while if you're next to a wall, you're essentially trying to swim through not only your own reflected wake but everyone else's.
Less chop in the water from the other swimmers and where the water meets the pool edges and pushes back. It can slow the swimmer down -- the .50 of a second that makes the difference between silver and gold.
As an aside, since I'm a fan, Phelps, for example, prefers Lane 4, if he gets a choice when he qualifies.
I also think I heard them mention something about line of sight and having an opportunity to see the other competitors. Although I guess if you are swimming your fastest that shouldn't matter, but I suppose being able to see what someone else is doing could spur you on. And another thing I heard was being able to use the wake caused by someone's draft/slipstream to your advantage. However as someone who knows nothing about swimming, these are just things I thought I heard while not really paying attention.
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Date: 2012-07-30 12:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-30 01:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-30 06:23 am (UTC)As an aside, since I'm a fan, Phelps, for example, prefers Lane 4, if he gets a choice when he qualifies.
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Date: 2012-07-30 07:37 am (UTC)