By: Ivan Wang

In the world of Olympic sports, mere milliseconds could completely change whether you take home the gold, or take home nothing. This is why every advantage in the Olympics is welcome. These new swimsuits could be the thing that Olympic swimmers are looking for to give them an edge in the competition.

What is this swimsuit, one might ask? Well, it comes from the swimsuit brand, Speedo. These swimsuits are called the Fastskin LZR pure intent and the Fastskin LZR Pure Valor swimsuits.
The suit’s previous versions have proven that it does work; since 2019, athletes wearing these suits have broken 52% of all individual swimming records. Not only that, but in the Toyoko games, 61% of the gold medals for swimming categories were for people who were wearing these suits.

Now, we definitely know that these suits give athletes an advantage, but what exactly do they do? Well, they have a lightweight coating that makes them extremely water-repellent. It’s said they have 6 times more water repellency than other suits. They also have dual compression and textured fabric zones to reduce drag.

Caeleb Dressel, Regan Smith, and Ryan Murphy will be among the swimmers using these newly-introduced suits in the Olympics.

However, Speedo is not the only company that has unveiled a new, high-tech suit. TYR, another swimsuit brand, has also revealed a new suit, this one called the Venzo suit. It’s made of frictionless yarn that was once developed for the Italian military. Not only does it repel water, but it also elevates the body, reduces resistance, and its textile design provides support for the athlete’s core and legs. Katie Ledecky, widely known as the greatest female swimmer in history, will be using TYR’s Venzo suit.

In the end, the Olympics will boil down to who is simply the better athlete and swimmer.