Yes - one more time it's about the suit:
Here is a comparison to 2004 and what it took to make top 16 (top 8 for the 400) over the first 7 events:
2004 listed first then 2008 then the approx. % drop
400 IM - 4:24.8 to 4:21.0 1.5%
100 Fly - 1:01.29 to 59.97 2%
400 Free - 3:55.0 to 3:51.4 1.6%
400 IM - 4:49.57 to 4:43.2 2.3%
100 Br - 1:04.0 to 1:02.36 2.5%
100 Bk - 1:04.12 to 1:02.31 2.6%
200 Free - 1:51.1 to 1:48.76 2.2%
Ok - to be fair, people are getting faster, but I would guess at least a 1.5% drop across the board for the suit -- that is net time !
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Former Member
This thread could also be called:
Some quick numbers on four years of additional training
Some quick numbers on improved knowledge of nutrition
Some quick numbers on holding trials in an indoor vs. outdoor pool
Some quick numbers on the impact of more professional swimmers over a four-year period
Some quick numbers on SDK
Some quick numbers on the impact of natural disasters immediately preceeding a timed sporting event
Correllation does not imply causation. Do the suits make a difference? Seems like a reasonable hypothesis. Can we attribute performance improvement to the suit without controlling for the many other variables that also lead to performance improvement? Nope.
Another confound is LZR high-neck suit vs. legs only. Does anyone really think a LZR legs is going to hack a couple % off your time vs. an FS-Pro high-neck, or even the similar FS-Pro legs?
This thread could also be called:
Some quick numbers on four years of additional training
Some quick numbers on improved knowledge of nutrition
Some quick numbers on holding trials in an indoor vs. outdoor pool
Some quick numbers on the impact of more professional swimmers over a four-year period
Some quick numbers on SDK
Some quick numbers on the impact of natural disasters immediately preceeding a timed sporting event
Correllation does not imply causation. Do the suits make a difference? Seems like a reasonable hypothesis. Can we attribute performance improvement to the suit without controlling for the many other variables that also lead to performance improvement? Nope.
Another confound is LZR high-neck suit vs. legs only. Does anyone really think a LZR legs is going to hack a couple % off your time vs. an FS-Pro high-neck, or even the similar FS-Pro legs?
