Associated Press Andrew Dampf wrote an article on swim tech suits and the world-record drought. This article has been picked up by every news source on the web including MSNBC with "New suits mean no more records in swimming." When I first read "New Suits" I kept thinking don't you mean "Old Suits"? But even though we did take two steps back in technology swimming did take one step back with "New Suits" that are legal today.
According to the story "Swimming's world-record drought has reached 18 months, and as next month's world championships in Shanghai draw nearer the sport's close-knit community is starting to wonder when it will be broken." Technically that isn't true. Two world records were set by Ryan Lochte in December of 2010 at the World Championships in Dubai but this was a Short Course Meters event. I'm just guessing by World Records they mean Long Course Meters.
The article then goes on with a quote for Milorad Cavic "I think the whole swimming world has to get ready not to see another world record in the men's sprints for a long time." Then the article goes on to comment that it may take a decade for records to fall. That is hard to believe. Already some new technology has entered the pool world with new blocks from Omega that have a kickstand built in for track starts. I can only imagine that innovations in pool design will come along. Also I don't expect Speedo or other swim suit companies to sit idle without any new innovation in swim suit designs in the next decade. I'm guessing in 2012 we will set records drop. As many as 2008? Probably not but then again who knows?
(used wikipedia's list of world records as my source)
Comments