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US coach: No record is safe
11/04/2008 14:27 - (SA)
Manchester - The Speedo LZR Racer swimsuit is making such a splash in the pool that US head coach Mark Schubert believes every record in the sport could fall at the Beijing Olympics.
Since the suit was unveiled in February, 19 long-course world records have been set and four short-course marks. The new Speedo suit has been worn in all but one of the 23 records.
At this point in 2004 - the last Olympic year - five world records had been set.
Swimming's world governing body decided last weekend not to ban the new high-tech suit, despite claims of buoyancy and "technological doping" by some critics.
"I wouldn't be surprised to see every world record broken at the games, and hopefully we'll get a big percentage of those," said Schubert, one of the most outspoken supporters of the new swimsuit.
Jessica Hardy of the United States became the latest record-holder in the women's 50m breaststroke at the short-course world championships on Thursday.
NASA had a hand in designing the LZR, and Speedo claims it makes swimmers go two percent faster.
"They say that the suit is rocket science, but the stats are not rocket science," Schubert said. "The proof is in the performance."
Schubert said he will go so far as to recommend that every American wear the Speedo suit at the US Olympic trials in June - even if they are sponsored by another company.
"I would strongly advise them to wear the suit at trials, or they may end up at home watching on NBC," Schubert said. "Do you go for the money or for the gold? These athletes have been dreaming about winning an Olympic medal since they were eight or 10 years old and nobody can afford to give up two percent."
Four prominent Americans are sponsored by Nike - Brendan Hansen, Aaron Peirsol, Jason Lezak and Kaitlin Sandeno.
The Italians wear Arena and the Japanese use Mizuno.
FINA is due to meet with swimsuit manufacturers on Saturday, and there are no plans to ban the LZR. Other companies are clearly behind.
"I feel very sorry for them," Schubert said. "Get with it."
Italy head coach Alberto Castagnetti has said wearing the LZR amounts to "technological doping."
Massimiliano Rosolino, an Italian who has won 17 medals in Olympics and world championships, said something needs to be changed "right away."
"It's not a matter of technology," Rosolino said. "The matter is one suit has much more flotation. If I were to go out there in a scuba suit it wouldn't be fair either. There's something not right about it.
"It has to be fair for everyone."
Rosolino is using a new Arena suit that was supposed to compete with the LZR, but he said it hasn't changed much.
"I have the new one, but it's just lighter than the old one," Rosolino said.
Alessia Filippi, another prominent Italian, agreed.
"We're at a big disadvantage," she said. "I think we all need to have the same (type of) suit at the Olympics, and Arena is working on it. But they've got to hurry. We're behind."
In an open letter published in Friday's editions of the Daily Telegraph, Arena Group CEO Cristiano Portas called for "urgent" action due to the "firestorm of publicly expressed concern" over the new suits.
Portas said the sport faces an "irrecoverable loss of credibility, just a few months before the Olympic Games."
"As a consequence, a reliable and transparent analysis of these materials, as well as a careful assessment of approval procedures, is urgent," Portas wrote. "Such action is in the supreme interest of the sport."
The letter was dated April 4, the day before FINA issued a statement saying it will not ban the suits because there is no scientific evidence supporting claims of buoyancy.
On Wednesday, another letter was sent to FINA by a coalition of manufacturers - including Arena, Adidas, Diana and Descente - asking that three points on the swimsuit debate be added to the agenda for Saturday's meeting. So far, FINA has not responded.
Speedo is a top sponsor of US swimming and Schubert made his comments while wearing a polo shirt emblazoned with the English manufacturer's logo.
"I'm not saying this just because they pay part of my salary," Schubert said. "I'm all about performance and I believe in the product."
Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe used the LZR to set a world record in the 400m individual medley on Wednesday. On Thursday, she picked up her second gold of the championships by breaking her own meet mark in the 100m backstroke.
"It's definitely good for the sport but the bottom line is you still have to swim hard," Coventry said. "All suits for me are mental."
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