The aim of this study was to analyse lap performance stability, stroke kinematic variables in the clean swimming phase and turn performance in the finals of the four 200 m short course (SCM) events (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly). The sample included thirty-two elite female swimmers who competed in the 200 m finals at the 2019 LEN European Short Course Championships in Glasgow. Lap times, stroke kinematics, and turns were analysed using two approaches: (i) official lap time comparison (50 m), and; (ii) comparison of consecutive segments (25 m). Based on the official lap time comparison, performance significantly decreased over time (p < 0.001) with strong effect sizes in all strokes (* 2 between 0.89 and 0.96). Pairwise comparisons between consecutive 25 m segments were not significant. Turn time increased in all four strokes with strong effect sizes (p < 0.001; * 2 between 0.71 and 0.84). The start contributed *6% and turns *52% of the total race time. These findings highlight that traditional pacing analysis based on official splits may lead to misleading interpretations of performance in SCM events. Analysing 25 m segments provides a more accurate representation of race dynamics and contributes to a clearer understanding of pacing stability in short-course swimming.
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