Ten-Year Evolution of World Swimming Trends for Different Performance Clusters: A Gaussian Model.

Purpose: To analyze the evolution of the world ranking in swimming over the last 10 years, with particular attention to the effects of COVID-19 on the different levels of participating athletes.

Methods: The top 200 world-ranked entries in all swimming events (50-m pool) were collected from 2013 to 2022. A mathematical model (Gaussian model) was proposed to evaluate the ranking progression for different performance levels (clusters) according to distance, stroke, and gender.