Before 2009 Kukors best 200 IM was 2:10.40 World class for sure, but still a cut behind the top women in the event. Today she goes a 2:06.15 and in two days shaves more than a second off the world record. I nominate this swim, just ahead of Bousquets 20.94, as the most ridiculous suited up swim of all time.
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Former Member
I disagree with the ban of the suits. Why stop advances in technology so that old records can stand. It makes no sense to me. Should runners no longer be able to wear shoes, cyclists go back to using bikes they used 20 years ago, pole vaulters start using bamboo poles again (the list goes on and on)?
Why ban the suits? To level the playing field. To have athletes compete against each other without the aid of technology giving one athlete an advantage. It gives one athlete an advantage over the other. Each suit is different, and not every athlete has the means to obtain these faster suits. So, if you ban the suits, you rule out the "unknown" (suit technology) and you have swimmers competing against each other on a more level playing field.
What makes it wrong is, you can have two identical athletes, same abilities, same heart and desire to win, and if one has an advantage because of the special suit they are wearing, I don't think that makes it fair. This trickles down into youth leagues as well. Now it becomes a social and economic issue, where some athletes can afford these suits, while others cannot. If this continues, those athletes who cannot afford the suits, might not be fast enough to earn scholarships compared to other athletes. You see where this is going?
It is simple to level the playing field by banning the suits.
I disagree with the ban of the suits. Why stop advances in technology so that old records can stand. It makes no sense to me. Should runners no longer be able to wear shoes, cyclists go back to using bikes they used 20 years ago, pole vaulters start using bamboo poles again (the list goes on and on)?
Why ban the suits? To level the playing field. To have athletes compete against each other without the aid of technology giving one athlete an advantage. It gives one athlete an advantage over the other. Each suit is different, and not every athlete has the means to obtain these faster suits. So, if you ban the suits, you rule out the "unknown" (suit technology) and you have swimmers competing against each other on a more level playing field.
What makes it wrong is, you can have two identical athletes, same abilities, same heart and desire to win, and if one has an advantage because of the special suit they are wearing, I don't think that makes it fair. This trickles down into youth leagues as well. Now it becomes a social and economic issue, where some athletes can afford these suits, while others cannot. If this continues, those athletes who cannot afford the suits, might not be fast enough to earn scholarships compared to other athletes. You see where this is going?
It is simple to level the playing field by banning the suits.
