RATIONALE: The data below shows a comparison of the depth of swimming standards between Great Britain and Australia based on the heat results of each country's 2005 World Championship Trials, both held in the same week in March 2005. Tenth and 20th place times from the heats are used from each meet as a good indicator of the relative depth of elite swimming in each nation. In most events, using 10th and 20th place allows a fair comparison as the data is not skewed by outstandingly good competitors (generally higher than 10th) or unusually bad performances (generally lower down the rankings than 20th). Although this data does not necessarily directly relate to medal outcomes at the major championships, it does provide a useful guide to the relative standard of those swimmers who are just behind the leading few competitors. The higher the standard of those swimmers in the 10-20th range, the more likely it is that the leading few will be challenged for their place on the national team, and the harder they will have to work to stay there.
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