Sport performance literature commonly distinguishes between outcome measures (such as race times and placements) and process measures (such as skill acquisition, training adaptation, and workload tolerance) when evaluating performance over time (Smith, 2003). This distinction matters because competitive outcomes are influenced by many variables beyond preparation, including competition context, health, recovery, and the timing of training phases.
Periodization and training literature describe how increases in training volume or intensity can precede later performance improvements and may be associated with short-term stagnation or fluctuation in results during certain phases (Mujika et al., 2018). This pattern is one reason many performance programs evaluate progress using multiple indicators rather than competition results alone.
Swimming research on monitoring and adaptation supports using a broader evaluation lens that includes efficiency, pacing, execution, and physiological or technical markers, particularly over longer time horizons, where performance expression may lag behind training adaptation (Pyne et al., 2004).