Aussie Olympic Trials

The time drops have been amazing. Stephanie Rice dropped 6 seconds in the 400 IM for her WR. Eamon Sullivan dropped half a second in the 50. Until now I had thought that certain Olympic races like the men's 200 fly were pretty much locked up. There's no way to know anymore - someone could suit up and drop 3 seconds in a 200 (for example) in Beijing and come out of nowhere to win the gold.

:help:I don't want to have to buy a $500 suit to be competitive.:whiteflag:Have there been any WRs this year not in LZRs?

:help:I don't want to have to buy a $500 suit to be competitive.:whiteflag:Have there been any WRs this year not in LZRs? No.

:help:I don't want to have to buy a $500 suit to be competitive.:whiteflag:Have there been any WRs this year not in LZRs? Yes.

To be more specific, I don't think you will see the dominance of the LZR in Masters WR's moving forward. Allen, you won't need a $500.00 suit to remain competitive.

swimnews.com/.../displayStory.jhtml Nine world records have fallen so far this year, and Olympic trials season is only just dawning. All the new marks have one thing in common: the pioneer was wearing a Speedo LZR Racer. Is there now a club of swimmers who have a technical advantage over rivals because of the equipment they are wearing? There'll be much more on that theme in the weeks and months ahead. Here's how the sequence has unfolded so far: 16/02/08: 200m backstroke - Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) 2:06.39 17/02/08: 50m freestyle - Eamon Sullivan (AUS) 21.56 17/02/08: 100m backstroke - Natalie Coughlin (USA) 59.21 08/03/08: 50m backstroke - Hayley McGregory (USA) 28.00 18/03/08: 4x100m freestyle - (NED) 3:33.62 (Dekker, 53.77; Kromowidjojo, 53.61; Heemskerk, 53.62, and Veldhuis, 52.62) 21/03/08: 100m freestyle - Alain Bernard (FRA) 47.60 22/03/08: 400m medley - Stephanie Rice (AUS) 4:31.46 22/03/08: 50m backstroke - Emily Seebohm (AUS) 27.95 22/03/08: 100m freestyle - Alain Bernard (FRA) 47.50.

I see. Just not convinced that the suit is playing as big a role as one might think. EDIT: Surely a Masters WR has been broken sans LZR this year. If not thus far, in the very near future I am sure.

I see. Just not convinced that the suit is playing as big a role as one might think. EDIT: Surely a Masters WR has been broken sans LZR this year. If not thus far, in the very near future I am sure. One was set last weekend in Women's 50-54 200m Back. Swimmer was wearing a Speedo Fastskin not a LZR. Paul

Well, just for fun I looked up the FINA Masters Top Ten from last year (LC). I chose Laura Val as an example because I have seen her in action a few times over the past few years. To put it simply, her competitors are going to need more than an LZR to catch her. When you hold an 18 second advantage in the 200 Free over the next fastest competitor, while also holding the world record in said event...swimsuit technology is of little concern. Point being, I don't think LZR will have much impact on us lowly USMS competitors. Completely disagree...and think your looking at it from the wrong point of view. It's not about wether a masters swimmer can/will break a record wearing the suit, or if it will help someone 18 seconds slower overcome Laura...its how much improvement will Laura (or any individual) have in their own swims. We will see a fair amount of swimmers with the suit in Austin, wait and see.

EDIT: Surely a Masters WR has been broken sans LZR this year. If not thus far, in the very near future I am sure. I know that Eugene Lehman set a world record in the 95-99 50 fly in Feb., and he wasn't wearing an LZR, but there was no previous record in that age group so it may not be the ideal example for this discussion... ;)