I doubt this means we are hitting the human + tech ceiling. Many runners ran 4:02 miles before Roger Bannister broke the 4 minute mile. That was a mental ceilin

I doubt this means we are hitting the human + tech ceiling. Many runners ran 4:02 miles before Roger Bannister broke the 4 minute mile. That was a mental ceiling. I suspect a similar mental issue exists in swimming. The goal you're trying to beat is your own world record or whatever you think is achievable at your current fitness. Other swimmers are aiming for the same goal. Then when swimming, you see the swimmer next to you, and he's swimming as fast as he can, you're pushing each other, the end result just may be that you push each other to the point where you get the same time, and sometimes that will be an Olympic or World Record, and sometimes it won't.