41 Interim performance progression of talented swimmers 3 first swim performances of the season and 2) the progression between a swimmer’s first swim performance of the season and his current season best performance, could provide meaningful information about the interim performance progression (IPP) during two consecutive season best performances. Knowledge about IPP during consecutive season best performances of talented swimmers would enhance our understanding of changes in season best performances during the talent trajectory. In particular, this is the case when IPP is investigated from a retrospective perspective in which talented swimmers who made it to the top (elite swimmers) are compared to their talented counter peers who in the end did not make it to the top (highcompetitive swimmers). In here, a longitudinal approach is necessary as the road to the top is long and often combined with large inter-individual differences between swimmers due to processes of growth and maturation (Kannekens et al., 2011; Malina et al., 2015; ElferinkGemser et al., 2018). This would provide valuable and additional insights about the general and individual performance patterns of swimmers on their way to the top, which can be used to optimize talent development programs. As such, federations, coaches and swimmers would benefit from a more detailed guideline towards elite swimming performances and be able to set and monitor realistic and data-driven goals about the development of swim performances during a swimming season. Moreover, IPP may be an additional variable to select and monitor swimmers who have the potential to make it to the top. However, to the best of our knowledge, a longitudinal, retrospective analysis of IPP of talented swimmers with the potential to make it to the elite level has not been conducted yet. Therefore, the main goal of this study was to longitudinally and retrospectively investigate the IPP during consecutive season best performances of talented swimmers. Part of this group ultimately made it to the top (referred to as elite swimmers) whereas others did not make it to the top (referred to as high-competitive swimmers). Given the fact that at some point during their career, elite swimmers outperformed their peers, we hypothesize that elite swimmers have higher IPP compared to swimmers who did not reach elite level (high-competitive swimmers).
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