195 Appendices A were considered on track to reach the elite level during their junior years. This assessment was based on international performance benchmarks derived from Chapter 2, which establish the minimum swimming times needed per age group according to historical data to reach the elite level. These benchmarks will be used consistently throughout the thesis to categorize junior swimmers as either on track or not on track. Swimmers who eventually reached the elite level demonstrated greater improvement between their first swim performance of the season and their season best time, starting from age 13 (females) and 15 (males). However, elite swimmers did not show any difference compared to highcompetitive swimmers in the period between their previous season best time and the first swim performance of the season. During this period, swimmers of both groups experienced an average decline of ~1% in their swim performance. Chapter 4 narrows down the analysis of swim times to within a single race, examining the development of pacing behaviour of 5,818 swimmers who reached the elite, sub-elite and high-competitive level in adulthood. Elite males in the 100m freestyle developed a relatively faster first 50m from the age of 17, indicative of a more all-out approach compared to later high-competitive swimmers. No such effects were found for female swimmers. In the 200m freestyle, both male and female elites exhibited more even pacing behavior from age 16 (males) and age 13 (females) onwards compared to high-competitive swimmers. This highlights that elite swimmers during their junior years demonstrate pacing behavior which better fits the task demands, mirroring that of adult elite swimmers. To be and remain on track towards elite status requires not only extensive training hours but also quality of training. Self-regulation of learning is proposed to be crucial in this process. As such, Chapter 5 examines whether swimmers who are on track to reach the elite level apply self-regulation of learning (SRL) subprocesses more frequently in their daily training sessions compared with swimmers who are not on this track. Swimmers on track to the elite level were characterized with higher scores on reflection processes, but relatively lower scores in effort during training. Those on track who were improving more within a season were engaged in more frequent evaluation after training. These findings suggest that swimmers on track may learn and train more effectively and efficiently. Ultimately, this proactive involvement could contribute to a higher quality of daily training, which may result in greater improvements during a season, higher performance levels, and a greater chance of reaching the elite level. In Chapter 6, 29 Dutch talented swimmers were followed during their transition to the senior level. This transition is regarded as the most demanding and challenging phase on the path to swimming excellence. Over a period of four seasons, data were collected on their development in terms of season best times and underlying characteristics such as their maximal swimming velocity, stroke index (an indirect measure of swimming efficiency), starts, turns and lower body power. Swimmers who were on track towards the elite level
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