The 2008 WR CLUB
Fourteen world records have fallen so far this year, and Olympic trials season is only just dawning. All but one of the new marks have one thing in common: the pioneer was wearing a Speedo LZR Racer.
Is there now a club of swimmers who have a technical advantage over rivals because of the equipment they are wearing? Federica Pellegrini (ITA) was wearing the Arena R-Evolution on her way to the 400m free standard.
There'll be much more on that theme in the weeks and months ahead. Six of the world records fell at the European Championships, and there have been four so far at the Australian trials.
Here's how the sequence has unfolded so far:
16/02/08: 200m backstroke - Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) 2:06.39
17/02/08: 50m freestyle - Eamon Sullivan (AUS) 21.56
17/02/08: 100m backstroke - Natalie Coughlin (USA) 59.21
08/03/08: 50m backstroke - Hayley McGregory (USA) 28.00
18/03/08: 4x100m freestyle - (NED) 3:33.62
(Dekker, 53.77; Kromowidjojo, 53.61; Heemskerk, 53.62, and Veldhuis, 52.62)
21/03/08: 100m freestyle - Alain Bernard (FRA) 47.60
22/03/08: 400m medley - Stephanie Rice (AUS) 4:31.46
22/03/08: 50m backstroke - Emily Seebohm (AUS) 27.95
22/03/08: 100m freestyle - Alain Bernard (FRA) 47.50.
23/03/08: 50m backstroke - Sophie Edington (AUS) 27.67
23/03/08: 50m freestyle - Alain Bernard (FRA) 21.50
24/03/08: 50m freestyle - Marleen Veldhuis (NED) 24.09
24/03/08: 400m freestyle - Federica Pellegrini (ITA) 4:01.53
25/03/08: 200m medley - Stephanie Rice (AUS) 2:08.92
Taken from Swim News http://www.swimnews.com/
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