Representative Image of a swimmer.
Credit: iStock Photo
Some of the swimmers participating in the Paris Olympic Games this month are banking on innovation to be their ally. Major swimwear brand Speedo has produced its latest version of its Fastskin LZR Racer suit. The brand claims that not only are the suits water repellent but they also provide a feeling of weightlessness in the water.
Interesting Engineering reports that Emma McKeon from Australia, Caeleb Dressel from the United States, and Adam Peaty from Britain will be using these swimsuits.
Dressel called it his own “little Speedo rocket suit” and McKeon said that her new attire is "faster than ever" with water "just gliding off" the dress.
The article further notes that it is a seamless, partly polyurethane swimwear, co-designed by NASA, to ensure buoyancy and ample muscle support. This helps swimmers to swim faster and longer.
The Australian Olympic Committee also partnered with Speedo a few months earlier.
Interesting Engineering quoted Anna Meares, the Chef de Mission of the Australian Olympic Team for Paris 2024, “Australian athletes are thrilled with the look, fit, and feel of the Speedo uniforms. Thank you to Speedo for your continued support of athletes and for ensuring our swimmers, water polo players, divers, and surfers look and feel their best as they compete at Paris 2024”.
The article also suggests that apart from physical advantage the swimwear could also boost the morale of the swimmers as they will feel much faster wearing a tech suit and that will increase confidence and motivation leading to better performance.
However, an article on Science Alert, states that there is no conclusive evidence that these suits help in improving performance of the swimmers.
The article cites a 2019 study by the European University of Madrid, which examined 43 studies into the subject and concluded that there was no clear consensus.
"Controversies exist as there are those who believe fervently that these swimsuits have had some benefit for performance in general," it said.