112 Chapter 6 sprinters was as low as 21% for males and 25% for females. These findings show that most junior elite sprint swimmers were not able to maintain the same level of competitiveness in their senior careers. So far, the specific characteristics that underpin the successful development of swimmers who stay on track towards the senior elite level, as opposed to those who do not, remain unclear. By following swimmers throughout the junior-to-senior transition and investigating underlying performance characteristics (e.g., anthropometrics, technical skills, muscle power, and maximal swimming velocity) in relation to their performance level at senior age, we may acquire a better understanding about the specific factors that contribute to progression toward elite level swimming performance at this challenging stage. Moreover, insight into the levels and development of underlying performance characteristics during the junior-to-senior transition extends the knowledge about general performance development towards expertise. This may not only enrich the field of sport science but also has the potential to enhance the efficacy and efficiency of athlete development programs by providing science-based reference for coaches and swimmers. Therefore, the present study strived to gain a more profound understanding of the distinctions in development between swimmers who are considered to be on track to the senior elite level (referred to as high-performing seniors) compared to those who are not (referred to as lower-performing seniors) during the junior-to-senior transition (males aged 16-19 and females aged 15-18). We first examined whether high-performing seniors differed from lower-performing seniors in levels of swim performance and underlying characteristics when they were late juniors (males aged 17; females aged 16). Second, we investigated whether developmental differences in swim performance and underlying performance characteristics emerged during the junior-to-senior transition (males aged 16-19 and females aged 15-18) based on senior performance-level attainment. We hypothesized that highperforming seniors showed better and faster development on both swim performance and its underlying performance characteristics than lower-performing seniors during the juniorto-senior transition. Materials and Methods Ethical Approval All participants were informed of the study’s procedures prior to their participation and provided their written informed consent to participate. Informed consent was also obtained from parents of participants who were below 16 years old. All procedures used in the study complied with the Helsinki Declaration and were approved by the research ethics committee of the University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands (202000488).
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