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.
The problem with your argument is that these are already the most elite level swimmers in the world so the nitpicky parsing of differences is pretty irrelevant. If one swimmer has better body position that's a coaching and training issue, not a swimsuit issue and would be seen regardless of suit worn. Every person in the heat, heck every person in the meet, is wearing a tech suit which 100% nullifies the non level playing field allegation.
The whiners are criers have won apparently so we will all regress to the 80s.
I'm with Geek.
Kukors just swam better than the other suited up women in her event.
There is simply no need for a total ban on tech suits. FINA should have just had the balls to regulate properly. They could have drawn the line at the LZR/B70, or drawn the line at the LZR (which they attempted to do last March or April and then reversed course), or regulated the age groupers. Moreover, it's the latest rash of suits -- Jaked, Hydrofoil, Arena that seem to be causing people to whine more than ever. If the suits had been introduced or approved more gradually, there wouldn't be people crying about returning "swimming to the swimmers."
And, for the last time, there is no level playing field.
Trickett ditches Speedo for team bronze
Questions, confusion suit US swim nationals well
Speedo decided to allow its contracted athletes to wear whatever suit they want. Libby Trickett, for instance, was wearing an Arena suit during the 4x100 free relay.
And, for the last time, there is no level playing field.
In my age group experience, swimming is all about not having a level playing field. The suits are just another aspect.
Great quote from the SI article in Chris's post above
"Indeed, the swimsuit of the future might well be a spray-on rubberized coating—in team colors—which can be peeled off after a meet."
Indeed!
And I do rememer the switch to lycra "Belgrade" suits being a big big deal since only "rich kids" could afford them. And the ribbons & tape sewn onto the "obscene" lycra suits...priceless!
Great quote from the SI article in Chris's post above
"Indeed, the swimsuit of the future might well be a spray-on rubberized coating—in team colors—which can be peeled off after a meet."
Indeed!
And I do rememer the switch to lycra "Belgrade" suits being a big big deal since only "rich kids" could afford them. And the ribbons & tape sewn onto the "obscene" lycra suits...priceless!
I thought that was pretty funny too. Weird that the 70s can seem so prudish nowadays. And the rubberized peel-off suit prediction WAS scarily accurate.
For better or worse, less prescient was this statement: "The advent of nude competitive swimming may not be that far off."
It wasn't really hijacking since lefty did start the thread by mentioning "...the most ridiculous suited swim of all time."
yeah I suppose there is an assumption of the suits validity in that statement!
I think the PB v MP 200 race will give the kukors 2im a "most ridiculous suited swim ever" a good run for its money.
PB did not drop a full second off the WR. And he aleast made the last Olympics in his event, nearly medaling. From a percentage basis, the improvements are about the same though...
One of things that I enjoy about swimming is that you really don't need a lot of expensive equipment, at most you need a suit, goggles, cap, kick board, paddles and pull buoy, maybe fins, total cost maybe $120.00. Gosh just a few years ago, if you wanted to race, you just needed a suit, googles and maybe a cap. So historically, the entry into the sport is not expensive, now if you want to compete at any reasonable level, you need a $500 suit, if this trend continues it will discourage a significant number of people from competing.
For example, look at any high school sectional meet, everybody in the finals is wearing the high tech suit, if you don't have the right suit, you are not competitive
I suspect that the same thing is happening at Masters meet, the swimmers wearing the high tech suits will swim faster,
So was Kukors the only person in the finals with the tech suit? If they all had them why didn't they all get records?
I cannot believe a swimmer could be swimming in the World Championships and NOT have access to a tech suit. Enlighten me if I'm wrong.
The problem with this reasoning is the assumption that the same suit will benefit every athlete equally. If swimmer A has a superior natural position in the water and rides higher than swimmer B then it stands to reason that Swimmer B will derive more benefit from these suits. Swimmer A already had good posture and technique and therefore will benefit less. They also help the athletes maintain a better position at the end of races when they'd normally get fatigued. The margin of advantage that athletes with superior endurance had is diminished or eliminated.
