The present study examined the blood lactate responses of female swimmers at intensity corresponding to critical velocity (CV). Eight children (C), eleven youth (Y) and seven adults (A) were timed in distances of 50, 100, 200, 400 m for the CV calculation. On a following day the C performed 5x300 m and the Y and A 5x400 m repetitions with 30-40 s interval, at CV. Blood lactate concentration ([La]) was similar between groups and maintained steady within a range of 3.5±1.2 to 5.1±1.6 mmol·L-1 (p>0.05). RPE and RPE/[La] ratio were no different between groups (p>0.05) and increased after the second and third repetition respectively in all groups (p<0.05). During 28-31 min intermittent swimming, children, youth and adult female swimmers are able to sustain CV with a steady [La] despite an increased subjective perception of fatigue.
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