In sport, ageing is often framed as a story of decline. A study using data from the 2023 and 2024 Masters World Championships turns that perspective around, at least partly.
The researchers examined how close performances in different age groups were to the respective age-group world records – and whether there were differences between women and men.
Older women close the gap relatively more
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With increasing age group, the performances of the women studied moved relatively closer to the existing world records than those of the men. The effect was particularly pronounced over shorter distances.
This does not mean that older female swimmers become physiologically “younger”. Rather, it shows that the performance landscape in Masters sport is changing.
More women, better structures, greater depth
One possible explanation is the historical development of women's sport. Older female age groups previously included far fewer participants with decades of competitive experience. As participation rises, training improves and sporting careers last longer, the depth of performance can shift.
As a result, records in some age groups may progress faster than expected.
Record lists are also social history
Masters records should therefore not be interpreted only biologically. They also reflect training, health, opportunities to participate and the history of the sport.
For clubs, this carries a strong message: when more people remain in competitive sport for the long term, the picture of what is considered “normal” at older ages also changes. Masters swimming is therefore not only competition – it is an ongoing experiment in how long performance can continue to develop.
More participants change records
The larger and more performance-oriented an age group becomes, the more likely old marks are to fall. Masters records are therefore a moving target. For athletes, that is exciting: the benchmark is determined not only by biology, but also by the growing quality and depth of the entire field.
SCIENTIFIC SOURCE
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41059787/