JANUARY 5, 2010, 11:31 P.M. ET.Swimming Takes a New Dive .ArticleComments (1)more in Sports Main ».EmailPrinter
FriendlyShare:
facebook ↓ More.
.StumbleUponDiggTwitterYahoo! BuzzFarkRedditLinkedIndel.icio.usMySpaceSave This ↓ More.
. Text .By JAVIER ESPINOZA
Swimming has taken the plunge. The sport ushered in a new era this month after a decision by Fina, the governing body for world swimming, to ban the hi-tech swimsuits that have sent records tumbling in recent years.
From Jan.1, the polyurethane suits, which reduce drag and compress the body, have been outlawed from all official competitions. Instead, athletes will need to adapt their training and refine their techniques to remain competitive.
Previously, it was often said the suits were the ones making the records. Following the February 2008 launch of the Speedo LZR Racer Suit - an ultra-light, low-drag swimsuit composed of nylon lycra with polyurethane panels - no record had seemed out of reach.
View Full Image
Agence France-Presse
U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps and British swimmer Michael Rock
.With the introduction of other similar suits shortly afterward, athletes broke 43 world records over eight days in the 2009 World Championships in Rome. Over the past 12 months, swimmers set around 140 new world records in 2009 for both the long- and short-course, according to Fina's figures.
Since the introduction of Speedo's polyurethane suit in 2008, around 255 world records have been set. Only Grant Hackett's 2001 world record of 30 laps in just 14 minutes, 34.56 seconds has survived.
Perhaps the greatest illustration of the power of the new swimwear came at the world championships last summer, when a handful of athletes ditched the latest high-tech suits in anticipation of this month's ruling. The results turned the world rankings on their head.
In the world 200-meter freestyle final in Rome, Germany's Paul Biedermann, in the latest polyurethane suit, beat 14-time Olympic champion Michael Phelps—the U.S. swimmer's first defeat in a major individual race in four years. Many observers were left to question whether Mr. Phelps, who declined to use the latest technology, was beaten by a better rival or a better suit.
After a period of intense debate about whether the swimsuits should be allowed—and with accusations that the existing regulations provoked confusion—Fina opted in July to abolish the high-tech gear that allowed athletes to swim like torpedoes. Although manufacturers will attempt to develop cutting-edge technology within the new regulations, some question whether the current world records will ever be broken.
Suits from Italian-based swimwear firm Jaked, which won the most medals in Rome, have not been included in Fina's new list of permitted swimwear, although the company has introduced new models, a Jaked spokesman said. There are no suits from Adidas either. Australia's Jessicah Schipper and Germany's Britta Steffen used the company's suits to win their world titles. Adidas was not immediately available for comment.
Critics have even called for the governing body to abolish all records made during the "supersuits" period and start from scratch. The ruling organization is meeting in Bangkok next week and could reach a decision on this issue.
Liam Tancock, a 24 year-old British swimmer who broke his own record last year in Rome and won gold for his country, says he doesn't care if his record gets scrapped. "I wouldn't mind either way. I have always focused on being the best I can be when competing with the best people in the world. We will see at the end of 2010 who has the fastest time. Bring it on."
Others have welcomed the proposed changes. María Peláez, a 32 year-old professional swimmer in Madrid, says the development of the new swimsuits was faster than the natural development of the sport. "We got carried away with the new super-suits. In swimming, rules had been changing gradually in order to introduce new techniques that allowed for swimmers to perform better and faster."
She says the suits that were introduced in 2008 should have only been introduced in two or three decades. "That would have been a more logical evolution. Nowadays, high-tech suits have made it harder to identify who is a good swimmer and who is not," she adds.
Ms. Peláez believes that swimming turned a blind eye to the debate over swimsuit technology because of the media attention generated by the wave of new superfast times. "As swimmers we wanted to keep the sport as it always has been, but then came the incredible world records and the world's press attention and I would image there were economic interests as well," she said.
Like Ms. Peláez, Tom Haffield, a 21 year-old professional swimmer from Wales, thinks the debate about suits has drawn attention away from advances in training techniques that have made athletes faster.
Mr. Haffield, who trains on average six hours per day, six days a week, says that it will be hard to gauge which swimmers will perform better under the new rules, but adds that those with bigger bodies and more muscular complexions were definitely being helped by suits that allowed them to float better.
Separately, swimsuit makers admit there was a heavy financial cost to the abolishment of the superfast suits, but they are quickly adapting to the new regulation. Jason Rance, vice president of marketing at Speedo International in Nottingham, says the change in rules is "part of the challenge and enjoyment of what we do".
Although he says having to remove the new suits from the shelves posed a "fairly considerable" financial cost not only to manufacturers but also to retailers, clubs, partners and the swimmers, the veteran swimsuit-maker has been quick to implement the changes to minimize the cost.
"Our role is to ensure we provide swimmers with the very best technology within the rules as laid out by Fina," he added. As an example of how swimsuit makers need to adapt quickly to new rules, Mr. Rance highlighted how Mr. Phelps and Britian's double Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington were already using the new generation of swimwear in line with the new Fina rules at the "Duel in the Pool" competition in Manchester last month.
But with the new regulations in place, some worry the sport will become less appealing for fans accustomed to seeing world records fall. According to Mathew Luebbers, a swim coach, swimming is likely to "slow down again" this year. "High-end swimsuit prices will return to the realm of reasonable affordability, and the athletes that put in the time to do all of the needed training – in the water, out of the water - will regain the advantage."
"A lot of the super suits did more than just make a swimmer 'more slippery' in the water. They worked as a body brace, supporting and connecting the swimmers upper torso and hips; work formerly done by the swimmer's core muscles was instead done by the external suit."
But there will be benefits for the growing numbers of fans too as men won't be able to wear the high-tech suits that covered them up to the shoulder and down to their ankles.
"Swimming will be more attractive to the public," said David Maître, a French professional swimmer. "We were like robots, like body building guys. And now audiences will be able to see our bodies with a good shape.," he said. "Swimming will be a sport more appealing to watch, particularly for women."
from WSJ online.wsj.com/.../SB10001424052748703436504574640372565345110.html
