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The Gender Gap - Men’s vs Women’s Swimming

Ekosj
@Ekosj
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There is big news today in women's swimming. Canadian Summer McIntosh broke the world record in the 400 Individual Medley (IM) twice in one week! Today she swam 4:23:65, eclipsing the world record she just set on Wednesday. Amazing job!!! But the point here is to compare and contrast the difference between the men's and women's events.

Last year at the Canadian Olympic trials in the 400 IM, the slowest man swam 4:20:67. He didn't make the team. That's almost exactly 3 full seconds faster than today's women's world record. The fastest Canadian man who didn't make the Olympic team swam 4:16:90.

The fastest Canadian man - Tristan Jankovics - swam 4:11:74. He finished 16th at the Olympic games.

To assert that gender is a social construct and that there is no difference between biological men and women is to spit in the face of reality.

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Discussion (23)

  • Misthiocracy has never@Misthiocracy

    [ devil's advocate mode = on ]

    This also helps explain why men might want to pretend to be women in order to simply be allowed to compete.

    After all, a guy that can swim 400 Individual Medley in 4:20:67 cannot reasonably be considered a "mediocre athlete".

    The fact that so many outstanding athletes get cut off from simply being allowed to compete because of the lack of capacity at the very top of the rankings for their chosen sports is an issue.

    I mean, not like the biggest issue that society has to deal with or anything like that, but it's still an issue.

    [ devil's advocate mode = off ]

  • Ekosj@Ekosj
    ReplyingtoMisthiocracy has never

    Misthiocracy has never (View Comment):

    [ devil’s advocate mode = on ]

    This also helps explain why men might want to pretend to be women in order to simply be allowed to compete.

    After all, a guy that can swim 400 Individual Medley in 4:20:67 cannot reasonably be considered a “mediocre athlete”.

    The fact that so many outstanding athletes get cut off from simply being allowed to compete because of the lack of capacity at the very top of the rankings for their chosen sports is an issue.

    I mean, not like the biggest issue that society has to deal with or anything like that, but it’s still an issue.

    [ devil’s advocate mode = off ]

    No problem. I'd have to do some digging, but how many Canadian men are faster than 4:23:65 who never even got an invitation to Olympic trials? And there is mediocre and mediocre. Mediocre at this level. Women's world record time doesn't even get you in the Olympic men's finals. Not even the men's consolation heat for the final. Wouldn't even make the Canadian men's team ... and the men's team wasn't competitive in this event.

  • Old Bathos@OldBathos

    I recall a stat that the winning time of the Olympic women's 100 m gold medal winner that year would have been fourth in the New Jersey boy's high school state track and field finals in that event.

  • Ekosj@Ekosj
    ReplyingtoOld Bathos

    Old Bathos (View Comment):

    I recall a stat that the winning time of the Olympic women’s 100 m gold medal winner that year would have been fourth in the New Jersey boy’s high school state track and field finals in that event.

    At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Julien Alfred from St Lucia won the women's 100M with a time of 10.72.

    At the 2024 NJSIAA championships Malachi JAmes of Burlington City NJ won the boys 100M with a time of 10.28

    Third place went to Michael Thomas of Donovan Catholic who ran 10.70.

    Yep ... Alfred's 10.72 would have been good for 4th place.

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