Short version: Timing could be far more precise — but the physics of concrete swimming pools would make that precision meaningless. Very cool intersection of physics and technology.
This Is Why There Are So Many Ties In Swimming
Tonight three legends of swimming—Michael Phelps, Chad Le Clos, and László Cseh—turned in identical times to share silver in the 100m butterfly. Last night, Simone Manuel tied for gold with Canadian Penny Oleksiak in the 100m freestyle. Modern timing systems are capable of measuring down to the millionth of a second—so why doesn’t FINA, the world swimming governing body, increase its timing precision by adding thousandths-of-seconds?
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