Scientists Try to Link Swim Records to Suit Italy’s Swimming Federation Will Be Conducting Tests on Speedo’s LZR

By MONICA NISTA
May 2, 2008

Competitive swimmers aren’t the only ones testing the waters with Speedo’s new controversial LZR Raser.

 

Michael Phelps and Natalie Coughlin model the new Speedo LZR RACER during the new Speedo Swimsuit Launch at Espace on February 12, 2008 in New York City.

(Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

Now scientists will be testing the waters and the suits.

Over the past few months, world records have fallen in the sport of swimming faster than you can say “freestyle,” and some opponents of the LZR are not buying that it’s strictly because of the talent.

According to USA Swimming, an astonishing 40 world records have fallen this year, and of those, 36 were broken by athletes in the LZR that Speedo unveiled in February. Speedo has even created a special section on its Web site where online visitors can sign up to a “LZR Racer Results Feed” to get e-mail updates on the “jaw-dropping” records broken by athletes wearing the LZR.

Swimming records typically fall at unusually high rates during Olympic years, as athletes are conditioned to compete at the highest level, but according to Brent Rutemiller, publisher and CEO of Swimming World Magazine, the numbers this year are “unprecedent