By: Summer Lin
For the Paris Olympics, multiple swimsuit brands, like Speedo or TYR, have created new swimsuits that help swimmers swim faster and more comfortably during races. These new suits might make races even more competitive and give racers a brand-new experience, making everything more heated and entertaining.
Suits like the LZR Pure Intent 2.0 and LZR Pure Valor 2.0, from Speedo and Lamoral’s partnership, have a thin, lightweight coating that makes it extremely waterproof. The LZR Pure Intent 2.0 is designed for sprint swimmers. Its special fabric reduces drag reduction and offers dual compression. For the multi-event and long-distance swimmers, The LZR Pure Valor 2.0 offers modern compressions and is more waterproof than all the previous suits. TYR has also created a brand new suit. TYR’s suit features frictionless yarn that was originally developed for the military in Italy. The super smooth cloth made from this yarn is waterproofed, the suit also supports your core and legs, enhancing stability and increasing comfort.
Kevin Netto, an exercise science specialist at the Curtin School of Allied Health in Australia.
“The biggest factor in swimming, because it’s in water, is drag, which is far and away the main detractor for speed,” Netto, told AFP. “So anything that will change drag forces, it’s worth its weight in gold.” [1]
According to the New York Times, up until the 1996 Atlanta Games, men generally wore suits that covered as little skin as possible, and women wore neck-to-knee suits. Because of this, Swimmers would shave their bodies to gain speed. Some swimmers began to wear full- body suits, during the 2000 Olympics, covering everything except the head, hands and feet, with multiple Olympic medalists wearing the look.
World Aquatics banned high-tech suits beginning on Jan. 1, 2010. Men’s suits are only allowed to extend from the waist to the knees, while women’s suits are only allowed to extend from the shoulders to the knees. [2]
The new and improved suits could change this world of swimming, being waterproof, light and comfortable. These new suits show that tech is ever-growing, and are filling the world.
[1]These High-Tech Swimsuits Could Give Olympians An Edge At Paris 2024
[2]Why are full-body swimsuits banned at the Olympics? Here’s the history behind the rule