I have a question about world records and non-textile suits

Former Member
Former Member
I'm pretty ignorant about this subject so I appreciate your feedback to this basic question. If the non-textile suits are now illegal, why are world records that were set in them still recognized?
Parents
  • That's how FINA the ruling body decided to do it In my opinion, it's not really fair. Some rubber suit WRs will get broken by swimmers in textile suits. Last year Ryan Lochte broke the 200 & 400 SCM IM WRs. But many WRs done by swimmers wearing full body rubber suits are extremely fast and may never get broken. WRs have returned to normal which is: hard to break and seldom broken. Swimming World now refers to the fastest times ever in the new suits as "TEXTILE BESTS" If all the suit records were to be askerisked and reset. How far back should the ruling body go? Full body suits have been around since 92 but more wide spread since the 2000 olympics. However many swimmers opted to wear jammers and legskins in the 2004 Olympics. Not as many in the 2008 Games. Many WRs fell when the Speedo PRO came on the market and even more got broken with swimmers wearing LZRs & Jakeds. I'm not as worried about masters records, because as younger faster swimmers age up, records will continue to fall. Especially if swimmers (who trained and competed at elite levels into their mid to late 30's and even early 40's) take up masters swimming, they should be able to easily obliterate masters records. I bet in a decade or 2 we're likely to see a 50 year old break 20 in the 50 free & 45 in the 100. Here's what suits are currently legal. I'm pretty ignorant about this subject so I appreciate your feedback to this basic question. If the non-textile suits are now illegal, why are world records that were set in them still recognized?
Reply
  • That's how FINA the ruling body decided to do it In my opinion, it's not really fair. Some rubber suit WRs will get broken by swimmers in textile suits. Last year Ryan Lochte broke the 200 & 400 SCM IM WRs. But many WRs done by swimmers wearing full body rubber suits are extremely fast and may never get broken. WRs have returned to normal which is: hard to break and seldom broken. Swimming World now refers to the fastest times ever in the new suits as "TEXTILE BESTS" If all the suit records were to be askerisked and reset. How far back should the ruling body go? Full body suits have been around since 92 but more wide spread since the 2000 olympics. However many swimmers opted to wear jammers and legskins in the 2004 Olympics. Not as many in the 2008 Games. Many WRs fell when the Speedo PRO came on the market and even more got broken with swimmers wearing LZRs & Jakeds. I'm not as worried about masters records, because as younger faster swimmers age up, records will continue to fall. Especially if swimmers (who trained and competed at elite levels into their mid to late 30's and even early 40's) take up masters swimming, they should be able to easily obliterate masters records. I bet in a decade or 2 we're likely to see a 50 year old break 20 in the 50 free & 45 in the 100. Here's what suits are currently legal. I'm pretty ignorant about this subject so I appreciate your feedback to this basic question. If the non-textile suits are now illegal, why are world records that were set in them still recognized?
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