Scientists Try to Link Swim Records to Suit

June 18, 2008 — -- Competitive swimmers aren't the only ones testing the waters with Speedo's new controversial LZR Raser.

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 "unprecedented."

The Italian swim team, which is outfitted by one of Speedo's competitors, Arena, is going after swimmers wearing the high-tech suit. Italy's coach, Alberto Castagnetti, recently told The Associated Press that Speedo's LZR is "technological doping."

Meanwhile, with the 2008 Summer Olympics — the Super Bowl of swimming — less than 100 days away, they hope their team sponsor will come up with its own answer to anti-drag swimwear by August.

Pete Vanderkaay, a 2004 Olympic gold medalist and member of the world record-holding 4x200 meter freestyle relay team that has been undefeated since Athens in 2004, told ABC News, "As long as the suit is within the guidelines of what FINA permits, then how could you make a statement like that? If FINA decides it's OK, then it's OK." (FINA is the international governing body of swimming.)

Rutemiller told ABC News, "Manufacturers are scrambling to appease their federations and their sponsored athletes to come up with a suit that's comparable," and some, like the Italians without the technology, are "crying foul."

While Speedo had a large jump on the rest of the manufacturers, others are following in its footsteps, including TYR, which has created a suit with similar polyurethane materials, the Tracer Light.

The Italian swimming federation's Institute of Medicine and Science is set to conduct a study on the relationship between the suits and the recent onslaught of world records.

But it may be too late.