Comment by refulgentis

Ahhhh, after reading this, I think the part I was missing is swimming events aren't general w/r/t method

i.e. I'm familiar with track and field - it's "transport yourself X distance, fastest time wins"

With swimming, its "transport yourself X distance using method Y"

And you could have used the methods described in a race where method Y == backstroke at some point, as the requirements for backstroke were such that you just did a couple things quick, then could go underwater and do your thing till you finish...but that workaround is no longer available given the 15m rule.

(ty all)