Technological doping?

When Speedo launched its LZR (pronounced “laser”) Racer swimsuit last February, someone said it was tantamount to “technological doping” that such a scientifically-advanced invention could bring an “undue advantage” to the pool.

Whether the reference to some kind of doping was a joke or not, FINA – the sport’s international governing body – took it seriously and carefully studied if the LZR Racer was good or bad for swimming. In the end, FINA concluded that the swimwear was fair game and any competitor was free to use it.

FINA’s go-signal triggered an incredible assault on world records as swimmers in LZR Racer suits broke over 60 marks in less than a year. At the Beijing Olympics, swimmers in LZR Racer outfits claimed more than 90 percent of the gold medals at stake. There’s no question Speedo has created an instrument with the capability to turn swimmers into superhuman fish. The swimsuit, in fact, was hailed as one of the greatest inventions of the year by Time Magazine.

Speedo has long been known as the innovator in competitive swimwear. At the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, it unveiled the Aquablade. At the Sydney Olympics in 2000, the new thing was the FS (Fastskin) I with the shark skin feel. At the Athens Olympics in 2004, an improved version FS II was introduced.

But last year, Speedo broke the Olympic cycle by bringing out the FS Pro featuring a fabric called Laser Pulse. This was to be the LZR Racer’s precursor. It took four years for Speedo’s R&D team to develop both products with a fabric that is water-repellant and quick-drying. Laser pulse is made of elastane-nylon and polyurethane Gore-tex. The suits were designed in consultation with NASA scientists and fluid dynamics engineers.

Swimmers in FS Pro suits shattered over 20 world records before the LZR Racer came along.

While both the FS Pro and LZR Racer used the same fabric, there was a major difference. The FS Pro had stitching while the LZR Racer had no threading whatsoever. Eliminating the stitches with bonded seams meant reducing drag by at least five percent. The LZR Racer also had other outstanding features, like needlepoint holes to drain water, a 3-D three-piece pattern and what Speedo technicians call a core stabilizer which improves body positioning by reducing muscle oscillation and skin vibration through tight compression.

The claim is the LZR Racer has five percent less drag than the FS Pro and 10 percent less drag than the FS II, is four percent faster in starts, sprints and turns than any other suit and delivers five percent more oxygen efficiency.

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Michael Phelps wore a variety of LZR Racer suits (they come in a full-body version called “bodyskin,” full-length pants called “legskin” and knee-length short pants called “jammers”) in bagging eight gold medals in Beijing. The three-time Olympian was only 15 when he debuted in Sydney, placing fifth in the 200-meter butterfly. Six months after failing to win a medal in Sydney, Phelps became the youngest swimmer ever to break a world record at the age of 15 years and nine months.

Phelps, 23, has now collected 14 Olympic gold medals and will try to increase his harvest to at least 20 at the 2012 London Games. He was given a $1 Million reward by Speedo for his Beijing feat.

It didn’t take long after the LZR Racer hit the market that swimmers realized to stay competitive, they had to wear the Speedo suit. American Olympians Jason Lezak and Ian Crocker abandoned their swimwear sponsor and declared they would only swim in LZR Racers. The sponsor later announced it was discontinuing its competitive swimwear line.

In the Philippines, the LZR Racer and the entire Speedo line are distributed by Sprint International which has 16 stand-alone concept stores, including 11 in Metro Manila (counting Sta. Rosa). Sprint acquired the Speedo franchise in 1989. Speedo’s products range from competitive to leisure swimwear and shirts, bags and accessories for swimming, triathlon and beach volleyball.

The LZR Racer is available locally in different styles and sizes with a price range of P13,000 to 24,000.

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Sprint vice president of operations Manish Mahtani said only 17 LZR Racer suits were brought in from Speedo’s factory in Portugal last September. The balance of the total order of 150 is expected in March. Back orders are in a six-month waiting line.

Obviously, pushing the product is not necessary because the demand is far greater than the supply. But Mahtani said Sprint and Speedo continue to reach out to swimmers who want to improve their times. It’s a commitment to social responsibility and excellence. That’s why Sprint is tying up with schools, swimming clubs and individual swimmers to promote not just Speedo products but the sport itself as a way to be and stay fit.

National swimmer Kendrick Lim Uy, for instance, is in line to be supported by Sprint and Speedo. The other day, he was fitted for a LZR Racer suit. Uy will wear the suit in the coming ASEAN University Games, the qualifying event for the World University Games in Serbia next year. The UP student took a silver and a bronze in the last Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and hopes to qualify for the next SEA Games, Asian Games and the London Olympics.