Video of Russian synchronized swimming champions
From NBC on Olympics
The duo of Russian synchronized swimmers Natalia Ischenko and Svetlana Romashina won the synchronized swimming competition for the fifth straight time and would be considered iconic in their event.
They were featured at NHK and there were series of tests and studies that analyzed their performance. They were compared with their counterpart Spanish competitors:
1. They were perfect almost 100% as to angle and down to the water splash. The angle of the feet and even the curl of the toes. The synchronization was 100% perfect - each was a perfect carbon copy of the o ther.
2. The Russian athletes, compared to the Spanish counterparts, can do harder and faster leg movements, stay underwater for that routine, 20 seconds longer than the Spaniards and they occurred at the latter part of the routine, when the athletes were tired and fatigued. How come?
When one dives, the heart rate drops and this is called diving reflex. The body conserves oxygen to survive. So the usual trend is to have lower heart rate, lower oxygen delivery to the thighs that is responsible for rapid thigh and leg movement. But the Russians defied this science and human physiology.
They had higher heart rate when underwater, whereas the heart rate of the Spaniards, followed the usual pattern of diving reflex. It was found out that among water mammals, the spleen delivered extra oxygen to the blood stream by contracting. It is a sort of diving tank. For most people, the spleen contracts by 5 to 10%
Their spleen contracted and released more blood into the heart by as much as 2x and 5x compared to other humans.
What could be the reason for this:
1. They train much longer than anyone else since they were 5 years old:
2. Their daily routine consist of 5 hours in the pool with the following routine:
500 hours swim
standing reverse vertically for indeterminate amount of time
3. They never leave the pool for the break or when eating
4. They practice even when they have all ready won gold medals. They never lost their humility and ability to endure
They practice synch in and out of water, they count. The leader, Ischenko, synchs and follows intently Natalia. Of the two Ischenko is more positive and she has this to say (she was chosen to be part of the team because of her beautiful arms)
Short biography of Natalia Ischenko
The other reason is motivation. Ischenko had more high points in her life as analyzed by sports psychologists and even sees the low points in her life as opportunities. Thus her brain works harder than her partner as they perform the routine and enables her to do harder work and exceed her physical limits
1. Be willing to change and accept suggestion even if you are correct
2. Never give up
3. Aim for the top
4. Improve
5, Push yourself to the limit and when you have problems, the answer is not outside. You can find it within you
