Beijing, Aquatics

Aquatics: Why swimmers keep hammering their way to new heights

Olympic races are clearly not intended to be conducted at a snail's pace but a mere six sessions of swimming here have now yielded nine world records and six further Games records. That tally does not include fleeting records superseded within moments by someone else, let alone reflect the extraordinarily fast times being posted by swimmers of all nationalities. It has been akin to watching shoals of rubber-clad flying fish.

Michael Phelps's exploits - three world records by lunchtime yesterday - are merely the most obvious example. In the semi-finals of the 200m butterfly he coasted into the wall like a holidaymaker drifting towards the side of a Majorcan hotel pool and still equalled the Olympic record of 1min 53.70sec he had posted the previous evening. Either there is something in the water at the Water Cube or the local Peking ducks have real web-footed competition.

For a stark illustration of the rapid progress since 2004, look no further than the British men's 4 x 100 metre relay team. They finished last in Monday's final in a time of 3:12.87, which would have earned them the gold medal in Athens. The victorious Americans trimmed almost four seconds off the old world record with their collective swim of 3:08.24, which in any other sport would have prompted the mother of all stewards' inquiries. The stack of 14 world records established in Sydney in 2000 will be toppled sooner rather than later.

So where does the explanation lie?

For a start the pool here is specifically designed to make swimmers feel more comfortable. At three metres deep it is deeper than many others which means there is less resistance and turbulence off the bottom. It is wider, too, which means the waves can be dispersed into the empty outside lanes and into a sophisticated gutter system. The lane markers are also designed to force water down rather than outwards. This is not just any old council lido.

Nor are the suits doing their users any harm. The virtues of Speedo's LZR Racer are already well-documented and we continue to wait in vain at these Games for anyone prepared to venture into the water wearing an old-style pair of budgie smugglers and a determined expression. Since Speedo's new toy first started to be used in February the results have been dramatic, to the point where one coach using a rival brand has railed against what he called "technological doping".

So reliant have the swimmers become on their sleek corsets that Australia's Jessicah Schipper almost had a nervous breakdown when her zip broke minutes before her final on Monday. With the aid of her compatriot Libby Trickett she narrowly managed to pull on another one before the race started and duly claimed a bronze medal. The quaint notion of swimming without the suit was a complete non-starter.

Swimming insiders also stress that records traditionally plunge at every Olympics. "It's Olympic year and everyone's stepped up their game," said a shrugging Rebecca Adlington, Britain's new first lady of freestyle. Aaron Peirsol, who clocked 52.54 to break his own world backstroke record by 0.35sec on another splendid morning for the American team, also points out that simply wearing a bit of sophisticated kit does not guarantee success.

"You could just consider it the evolution of the sport," he said. "No one wants to lose to a suit but you are swimming the race against the athlete next to you, not the technology. I still wear the same goggles I used four years ago. Some things are better left untouched. If it's not broken, don't fix it."

Peirsol also has a theory that Phelps is dragging everyone else's standards up and reminds everyone that training, technical and nutrition methods are constantly being refined. He has a point, although swimming's authorities would be sticking their heads in the chlorine if they blithely assume their sport is somehow totally immune to the doping pressures which tempt athletes in other disciplines.

As with tennis and golf, however, the march of technology must be maddening for those old-timers who swam in the days of wooden blocks and choppy water. It is too late now to ban the suits, or issue an edict that male swimmers should wear nothing below the knee or above the waist. It would be fascinating to see what effect such a policy would have but it is simply not going to happen. Swimmers going slower is no good for box-office sales, let alone body-suit manufacturers.

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