LZR Racer

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The LZR Racer suit is a high-end swim suit made by Speedo made of a new high-technology swimwear fabric composed of neoprene and polyurethane. The technology is patented in Portugal and the suits are made in Petrotex, a textile factory located in Paços de Ferreira.[1][2] It was launched on 13 February 2008.

This suit has been developed in association with NASA and the Australian Institute of Sport as well as the support of Speedo's sponsored athletes, and it is claimed once again to be the world's fastest swimsuit[3]. This will be the focus of Speedo's campaign for the Beijing Olympics, spearheaded by Michael Phelps of the US, currently holder of seven world titles. It also continues the collaboration with Comme des Garcons introducing an element of fashion to a performance suit for the first time. As of May 15, 2008, 37 world records have been broken by swimmers wearing the LZR Racer.[4] It sucks the muscles into the perfect shape to swim. Lighter than others, it repels water, reducing drag [5]. As a result of the success of the swimming suit, some people have asked for a review of the suit and if the suit is ethical when it comes to the sport of swimming.[6][7][8] FINA endorsed use of the suit.[9]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Press Release for SPEEDO LZR Racer
  2. ^ Reuters: Space-age suit races into uncharted waters
  3. ^ Engineering the world's fastest swimsuit at PhysOrg.Com
  4. ^ BBC Sport: "Swimming's fastest year", http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/swimming/7346071.stm
  5. ^ BBC News: " Japanese search for new swimsuits", http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7434159.stm
  6. ^ Chinalyst "France criticizes Speedo LZR Racer swimsuit", http://www.chinalyst.net/node/34223
  7. ^ Petty, Martin (2008-04-14). Space-age suits race into uncharted waters. Yahoo! News. Yahoo!. Retrieved on 2008-04-15.
  8. ^ The Science of Sport "The swimsuit revolution", http://scienceofsport.blogspot.com/2008/01/hot-topic.html
  9. ^ Speedo LZR Racer swimsuit spawns copycats and controversy, Gizmodo Australia
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