77 Pacing behavior development in adolescent swimmers 4 multilevel modelling approach with corrections for prevailing world records revealed insights on developmental patterns based on thousands of swimmers with on average five competitive seasons in adolescence. The pacing behavior of swimmers develops during adolescence, as older swimmers adopt a pacing behavior that better suits the task demands (100m: more all-out [males only], 200m: more even). Although swimming is a head-tohead type of competition, the development of pacing behavior resembles that of time-trial events, most likely due to the lane-based nature of the sport. The persistence of the effect of age on pacing behavior when race experience was also included as predicting variable, supports the hypothesis that pacing behavior development during adolescence is driven by other factors in addition to increased experience, such as physical maturation and cognitive development. Swimmers who reach the elite performance level in adulthood, exhibit a pacing behavior better suits the task demands and that resembles that of adults (100m: more all-out [only males], 200m: more even) during adolescence. In the 200m, this differentiation occurs earlier in females compared to males, most likely due to the earlier onset of agerelated physical maturation and cognitive development in females. Coaches are advised to take notice of the complex development of pacing behavior which occurs throughout adolescence. Furthermore, coaches could use the data presented in the present study as a starting point for an individualized approach to optimize the pacing behavior development in their swimmers and better guide them on the road towards elite performance.
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