Meet files are messy. Names arrive misspelled, birthdays go missing, the same child appears as "Alex", "A. O'Connor", and "Alexander O Connor" across three seasons. In most systems that means three separate profiles, missing best times, and hours of manual fixing for the gala secretary.
MyAthlete sorts this out for you. Every result is matched to the right swimmer automatically, and each swimmer keeps one lifelong history — from their first development gala to nationals — even when the source files disagree.
1. One history per swimmer
Every swimmer gets a single record that all of their swims attach to:
- All spellings in one place: "A. O'Connor", "Alex O Connor", and "Alexander O'Connor" all point to the same swimmer once matched.
- Lifelong bests stay correct: because the history is complete, personal bests, season bests, and qualification checks in Race Analytics (Compete) and Meet Entries are worked out from the full picture, not a fragment.
- No duplicates building up: new results join the existing history instead of creating a second profile for the same child.
2. How new results are added safely
When a meet results file is uploaded, MyAthlete holds it to one side first and checks it before touching your live results:
- Good rows go in, problem rows wait: if a file has 500 clean results and 3 broken lines, the 500 go in straight away and the 3 are set aside for someone to look at. One bad line never blocks the whole file.
- Nothing is lost: the original file is kept as-is, including splits and registration numbers, so anything can be rechecked later.
- Existing data is protected: if something goes wrong mid-import, your current results are left untouched.
Tip for gala secretaries
You don't need to clean the file before uploading it. Leave typos, missing IDs, and odd formatting as they are — upload first, and only look at the handful of rows MyAthlete flags afterwards.
3. How names get matched to swimmers
Every new result is checked against your swimmers in order, strongest match first:
- 1. Registration number: if the result carries the swimmer's official national registration number and it matches a profile, it is linked immediately.
- 2. Name plus birthday: if there is no registration number, name, date of birth, and gender together are usually enough to link it — for example, "Alex O'Connor, born 2012" matching your Alex O'Connor.
- 3. Who else was at that meet: if the name is badly misspelled and there is no ID, MyAthlete looks at context. If "A. Oconer" appears at the same meet alongside 12 other swimmers from your club, and you have an Alex O'Connor of the right age, that is a strong clue it is the same child.
Strong matches are linked automatically. Anything uncertain is left for a person to confirm rather than guessed — see section 5 below.
4. Old swims find their swimmer later
Sometimes a swim arrives before the swimmer is properly set up. MyAthlete fixes this backwards when the missing piece turns up.
For example:
- In 2022, a meet file contains "A. O'Connor" with no registration number. It sits unlinked, but is kept safely.
- In 2026, Alex O'Connor registers properly with an official national ID.
- MyAthlete looks back through those old unlinked swims, recognises the 2022 swims as Alex's, and attaches them to the same history — so those early PBs now show up in the right place.
Why this matters
Without this, old swims without IDs stay orphaned forever and a swimmer's early history goes missing. With it, a swimmer who joined years ago still ends up with one complete record.
5. What you need to do: almost nothing
Over 95% of results are matched without anyone lifting a finger. The rest appear in a short review list:
- Check the flagged few: a misspelling MyAthlete wasn't sure about, or two swimmers with very similar names. Confirm or correct with one click.
- Once confirmed, it stays learned: the next time that spelling appears, it is handled automatically.
If you never open the review list, nothing breaks — the matched results are already in, and the uncertain ones simply wait until you have time.
6. How this compares to the old way
| What you need | Old way (manual / Hy-Tek / spreadsheets) | With MyAthlete |
|---|---|---|
| Same swimmer, different spellings | Separate profiles pile up over seasons. Someone merges them by hand. | All spellings point to one history. Matching happens on import. |
| A file with errors in it | "Import failed on line 84." Nothing goes in until the file is fixed. | Good results go in. Only the broken lines are flagged for review. |
| Old swims without an ID | Left unlinked forever. Early PBs go missing. | Linked automatically once the swimmer registers properly. |
| Weekly admin | Hours of spreadsheet cleanup every season. | A short exceptions list to glance at. The rest is done. |
7. Who this helps
- Gala secretaries: upload the file as it came from the host. No pre-cleaning, no duplicate hunting.
- Coaches: bests, rankings, and split histories in Compete can be trusted, because every swim behind them is attached to the right swimmer.
- Swimmers and parents: one unbroken record from first gala to latest final — nothing lost when names change spelling or clubs change systems.