Yebbut none of that addresses Lee's point, which is that whereas athletics simply has "run this distance as fast as you can", swimming has "swim this distance using your arms and legs in a certain way". The running equivalent of swimming events could be "the 100m with your arms by your sides", "the 200m with your arms above your head", "the 400m on tip toes", "the 800m starting on the left foot", etc.