This Is What a 13 Second 50m Freestyle Looks Like

This Is What Swimming a 50m Freestyle in 13 Seconds Looks Like

When it comes to swimming really, really fast, often coaches will have their athletes strap up to some resistance tubing.

The swimmer can swim against the pull of the chord in one direction to develop power, and then with the “pull” of the chord coming back to the wall experience swimming at a much faster rate than they could attain from regular swimming.

Taking it a step further teammates can run alongside the pool deck pulling the stretch chord, making up for the slack that inevitably happens.

In the below video posted to Auburn coach Brett Hawke’s Instagram we get a glimpse into what happens when a world-class sprinter is towed by not one, but by three stretch chords across the length of a 50m pool.

Israeli Olympian Ziv Kalontarov is the lucky athlete who gets to experience hydro-planing across the surface of the pool as though he is wearing a jet-pack. Going this fast is not only a heckuva lot of fun, but as you can see from Ziv’s first few strokes a bit of a shock to your stroke rate and technique.

How fast does he make it across the pool?

By Hawke’s watch he does it in a sultry 13.2 seconds:

Breaking world records today @zivk101 #roadtorio @rio2016 13.2 seconds for 50m! #breaktheinternet

A video posted by Brett Hawke (@hawkebr) on

See Also:

Get Daily Tips on How to Swim Faster

Subscribe to the YourSwimLog.com newsletter and get tips and advice on how to swim faster every weekday morning, straight to your inbox. 

Join 33,000+ swimmers, coaches, and swim parents learning what it takes to swim like a boss.

Unsubscribe anytime. Email will never be shared or sold.

Olivier Poirier-Leroy Olivier Poirier-Leroy is the founder of YourSwimLog.com. He is an author, former national level swimmer, two-time Olympic Trials qualifier, and swim coach.

Related Articles

annoying swimmers
Swimming Videos

Annoying Things Swimmers Do (Video)

South African swimmer and YouTuber Calvyn Justus put together a funny video exemplifying some of the more common things that swimmers do that could be classified as, well, annoying. We all know the types… The swimmer who gets out to go to the bathroom just as the main set is

Read More »
george haines santa clara swim club
Swimming History

How Did Swimmers Prepare for Meets in the 1960’s?

Now this is cool. In this video that was posted originally on the International Swimming Hall of Fame’s YouTube channel, we get a behind the scenes look at the Santa Clara Swim Club, along with George Haines, as they prepare for a championship meet. The video was produced in 1967,

Read More »
Swimming Videos

Catching Up with Natalie Coughlin (Video)

In this video, produced by Outside Magazine, we get a glimpse into the motivation and day-to-day life behind one of the most decorated swimmers in Olympic history. Natalie Coughlin, who is now tied with Jenny Thompson and Dara Torres as the most decorated woman Olympian of all time, has won

Read More »
Swimming Videos

What It Means to Be a Swimmer (Video)

This 60 second short written/directed/produced by Chris Shimjima does a minute-long poetic smash cut into what it is to be a competitive swimmer. The video was shot at the Brooklyn Sports Club, and is appropriately titled, “When You Say You’re a Swimmer.” It rather perfectly captures the beauty, the struggle,

Read More »
how not to pace your 200 butterfly
Swimming Videos

How NOT to Pace Your 200 Butterfly (Video)

Swimmers are a weird bunch, but within our intrepid group lies a number of sub-sets. You have the Alpha-male sprinter with the chest-pounding, spitting and shadow boxing. You got the breaststrokers with their weird knee-hip-ankle flexibility thingy that even fellow swimmers (but clearly not breaststrokers) understand, and of course, you

Read More »