Kinesiology, Vol. 58 No. 1, 2026.
Review article
https://doi.org/10.26582/k.58.1.9
Open water swimming research: A comprehensive bibliometric review of trends, gaps, and future directions
Renato M. Ferreira
; Department of Sports, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil
Géssyca T. de Oliveira
; Governador Ozanam Coelho University Center (UNIFAGOC), Ubá, Brazil
Everton R. Soares
orcid.org/0000-0002-7765-5828
; Department of Physical Education, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Brazil
*
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
This bibliometric review examines the scientific literature on open water swimming, aiming to identify key themes and research trends up to December 2024. A comprehensive search was conducted across several databases, including SciELO, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, using descriptors such as athletes, swimming, open water, marathon swimming, and ultra-distance. The review focused on full-text articles published in English, specifically analysing studies involving athletes competing in official 5, 10 and 25 km race distances at world championships and the Olympic Games, while excluding research on poolbased swimming, triathlon, and literature reviews. The analysis reveals a predominance of quantitative, observational studies, with a clear emphasis on performance monitoring and pacing strategies. These studies predominantly involve elite athletes (concentrated in the early-to-mid-twenties age range). Within the studies included in this review, topics such as hypothermia and probiotics appeared less frequently, possibly reflecting the challenges of conducting experimental studies in real open-water settings. Despite the growing popularity of open water swimming, as evidenced by the increasing number of registered competitions, research has been disproportionately focused on elite athletes, leaving a gap in the understanding of amateur participation. This review highlights critical gaps in research, particularly in the areas of sports psychology, physiology, biomechanics, nutrition, and safety of athletes. Among the studies conducted in real-world open-water settings included in this review, the limited number of experimental investigations presents an opportunity for future research to develop interventions aimed at enhancing both performance and safety while addressing the diverse needs of swimmers across competitive levels.
Keywords
marathon swimming; literature review; sports discipline
Hrčak ID:
348449
URI
Publication date:
30.6.2026.
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