The German Swimming Federation (Deutscher Schwimm-Verband, DSV) and INSCYD have announced the extension of their successful partnership, a collaboration that has already led to groundbreaking results for German swimming on the world stage. By combining physiology-driven insights with tailored training protocols, INSCYD’s software has been instrumental in shaping the Federation’s athletes for top-tier performance—and the results speak for themselves.
A Winning Collaboration
Some of the currently most successful top athletes and their coaches within the German Swimming Federation (DSV) utilize INSCYD diagnostics to refine their training strategies, leading to top performances at World Championships and Olympic Games. This partnership also saw Germany achieve 3 medals in swimming events at the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games.
Florian Wellbrock secured gold in the men’s 10km open water marathon, marking Germany’s continued excellence in open water swimming and ending a nine-year wait since the country’s last Olympic open water medal, a silver won by Thomas Lurz in 2012. Additionally, he claimed bronze in the men’s 1500m freestyle event. Sarah Köhler (now Sarah Wellbrock) also made history, claiming bronze in the women’s 1500m freestyle, reinforcing Germany’s presence in elite international swimming.
This achievement also highlights the end of a 13-year wait for Germany to secure another Olympic swimming gold, following Britta Steffen’s double gold in the 50m and 100m freestyle events at the 2008 Olympic Games. This milestone marks a new era for German swimming, demonstrating the progress made in the sport over the years.
The momentum continued at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, where Germany’s swimming success reached historic levels. German swimmers delivered standout performances at the 2024 Paris Olympics, including a gold medal in the men’s 400-meter freestyle with a winning time of 3:41.78. The strength across multiple disciplines was further demonstrated in the men’s 10km marathon swim, where Oliver Klemet secured a silver medal with just a 2.1-second margin from the winner.
Additionally, Isabel Gose earned a silver medal in the women’s 1500m freestyle, further showcasing Germany’s competitive presence in long-distance swimming.
These achievements underscore the continued success of German swimmers on the international stage.
INSCYD helps both coaches and athletes as well as the physiologist of the DSV to obtain a wealth of information about an athlete’s metabolic profile with moderate effort, which would not be possible with classic performance tests.
Initially, classic performance parameters such as VO2max, individual energy demand, or lactate combustion as a function of swimming velocity are key metrics that could otherwise only be determined in swimming with great effort.
Moreover, tools like the training zone builder are valuable to guide training intensity.
INSCYD’s software delivers data that provides coaches with clear lactate accumulation graphs, detailed physiological capacities, and fatigue accumulation markers for every swimming speed. These insights give a comprehensive understanding of where athletes excel and where improvements are needed.
"With INSCYD, everyone can immediately identify the physiological metrics that will most effectively improve athletes' performance”
Sebastian Weber
founder of the INSCYD
Two-Sided Continuous Innovation
One of the highlights of this extended partnership has always been the collaborative approach to innovation. INSCYD is working closely with DSV to develop new features, protocols, and enhancements, incorporating feedback from the Federation to ensure the software meets the specific needs not only of the Federation but also of the broader swimming community.
This two-sided collaboration ensures the software continues to evolve to meet the demands of elite athletes and coaches alike.
DSV’s focus on digital transformation began in earnest with the appointment of Dr. Törpel as the national coach for diagnostics in 2019. His leadership and dedication to advancing sports diagnostics have paved the way for integrating innovation tools like INSCYD into the heart of German swimming. In this way, athletes and trainers received more detailed information about the metabolic profile in order to plan and design their training in a more detailed and individualized way based on this information. This is one part of the successful development of German swimmers.
Expanding Horizons Across German Olympic Sports
Following these exceptional results, DSV is planning to expand the use of INSCYD’s software across various diagnostic departments and training centers throughout Germany. This planned expansion reflects INSCYD’s ability to influence athletes’ success beyond swimming and showcases the Federation’s commitment to embracing cutting-edge sports science for superior athlete development.
The partnership’s extended phase is not just a continuation but an evolution aimed at empowering athletes and coaches alike. The collaboration has demonstrated how targeted performance diagnostics can make a decisive difference—turning physiological data into gold, one race at a time.
About Deutscher Schwimm-Verband (DSV)
The German Swimming Federation (DSV) is responsible for organizing and promoting competitive swimming in Germany, developing athletes across all aquatic disciplines, and representing German swimming at international competitions such as the Olympics, World Championships, and European Championships.
About INSCYD
INSCYD is a leading provider of physiological sport performance analysis software, offering powerful tools to measure and understand an athlete’s 360-degree physiological profile. By delivering comprehensive insights, INSCYD helps federations, universities and labs optimize athletes performance with real-world applications and scientifically backed data.
From simple Tests to complete performance assessment
Take your performance analysis into the 21st century. Get a full 360° metabolic profile, including: VO2max, VLamax, MLSS, LT1, Fat – and Carbohydrate combustion rate, and many more vital metrics.
- Works with your current equipment
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- Lab-grade accuracy without expensive lab setups
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