Swim tracking guide
How to track individual medley PBs
The individual medley is four strokes in one race, swum in a fixed order. That makes it the most revealing event to track, because the splits show a swimmer's whole stroke profile in a single swim.
Direct answer
Track individual medley PBs across 100m, 200m and 400m IM, separated by distance and course. The IM is swum butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke then freestyle, so per-stroke splits are the key to seeing which leg is strong and which is holding the swimmer back.
Four strokes, one event
The IM order is always butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle. The 100m IM is short course only, while the 200m and 400m IM are swum in both courses.
Because every IM contains all four strokes, it is a single race that reflects a swimmer's all-round development. A weakness in one stroke shows up clearly against the other three.
Splits are the whole point
Per-stroke splits turn an IM into a map of the swimmer. They show which leg is strong, which is losing time and how the transitions and turns between strokes are handled.
The breaststroke leg is often where an IM is won or lost, since it is the most technical stroke under fatigue. Tracking the split for each leg over time shows whether a weak stroke is catching up.
Transitions and turns
The IM has stroke-to-stroke turns with their own rules, such as the backstroke-to-breaststroke turn. Time can be saved or lost in those transitions, separate from the swimming itself.
A note about a scrappy transition can explain an IM time later, in the same way splits explain pacing in a single-stroke distance race.
Tracking the IM well
PB Pathway keeps IM PBs per distance and course, and where stroke splits exist they sit alongside the result, so you can read which leg is developing. That is more useful in the IM than in any other event.
Reading the splits against the swimmer's single-stroke PBs can also show whether their IM legs match their best individual swimming, which is a helpful planning view.
FAQ
What order are the strokes in an individual medley?
Butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, then freestyle, in that fixed order.
Which IM distances should I track?
The 100m IM, which is short course only, plus the 200m and 400m IM in both courses, each kept separate.
Why are splits so important in the IM?
They show which stroke leg is strong and which is losing time, turning a single race into a map of the swimmer's all-round development.
Which leg usually decides an IM?
The breaststroke leg is often where an IM is won or lost, as the most technical stroke under fatigue.
How does PB Pathway track the IM?
It keeps IM PBs per distance and course, with stroke splits alongside the result where they exist, so you can see which leg is developing.
Related resources
Swimming splits explained
What swimming splits are, how to read them, what even and negative splits show about pacing, and how to use them without adding pressure.
How to track freestyle PBs
How to track freestyle PBs across the full range from 50m to 1500m, keep sprint and distance separate, and read progress by event and course.
How to track breaststroke PBs
How to track breaststroke PBs across 50m, 100m and 200m, why it is the most technical stroke for disqualifications, and how to log progress and DQs honestly.
Understanding swimming progress beyond one PB
Why swimming progress is more than a single PB: consistency, pacing, range of events, course differences and the effect of growth and age.
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