THE LZR RACER: A LOOK BACK AT SWIMMING'S "SUPER SUIT" SAGA

In early 2008, the swimming world was turned upside down. A revolutionary new swimsuit, the Speedo LZR Racer, was released, promising to make swimmers faster than ever before. What followed was the most chaotic, record-shattering, and controversial period in the sport's history: the "super suit" era.

This article takes a look back at that time, exploring the technology behind these infamous suits, the unprecedented assault on the record books, and the eventual ban that changed the sport forever.

Dive Into: The "Super Suit" Saga

• The Arrival: What Was the LZR Racer?
• The Controversy: "Technological Doping"
• The Ban and its Aftermath
• Frequently Asked Questions

The Arrival: What Was the LZR Racer?

When Speedo launched the LZR Racer in 2008, it was unlike anything seen before. Developed with help from NASA, the suit featured ultrasonically bonded seams and, most importantly, special polyurethane panels.

The claims were astounding: a 5% reduction in drag and a 5% improvement in oxygen uptake.

The suit acted like a corset, compressing the swimmer's body into a more perfect streamline. The polyurethane panels also repelled water and trapped air, which significantly increased buoyancy, lifting the swimmer higher in the water.

The Controversy: "Technological Doping"

The impact was immediate and undeniable. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, swimmers wearing the LZR Racer won 94% of all gold medals and were responsible for 23 of the 25 world records broken.

Other manufacturers rushed to release their own 100% polyurethane suits, like the Jaked J01 and the Arena X-Glide. The result was a technological arms race that culminated at the 2009 World Championships in Rome, where an incredible 43 world records were broken in a single meet.

The sport was in chaos. Swimmers were breaking records by whole seconds, and many felt the focus had shifted from the athlete to their equipment. The term "technological doping" was widely used, and there was a huge outcry to save the integrity of the sport.

The Ban and its Aftermath

In response to the controversy, FINA (now World Aquatics) made a decisive move. Effective January 1, 2010, all non-textile, full-body "super suits" were banned from competition.

The new rules mandated that swimsuits must be made from woven textile materials and placed strict limits on their coverage (jammers for men, open-back kneeskins for women).

The ban had a profound effect. The world record pace slowed dramatically, and it took many years for some of the "super suit" records to be broken by swimmers in textile suits. The era was over, but it remains a fascinating and controversial chapter in swimming history.