It’s two pieces, studded with diamonds and rhinestones, and plated in gold. OK, not quite. But yeah, Speedo is marketing a $550 swimsuit called the LZR Racer. Apparently the suit was designed by NASA with all sorts of special fabrics and bonding to make you a more efficient swimmer. There’s like less drag and all kinds of technical stuff I really don’t have a clue about. But what I do know is that people are beginning to complain about the results this suit is generating. It’s like the steroids scandal for swimming or something, who knew?

Still, with so many records falling so fast, three-time Olympic champion Pieter van den Hoogenband captured the essence of the controversy: “This [suit] allows far less talented swimmers to go fast,” he told a French newspaper, adding that it made records meaningless.

I don’t know if that’s quite the case, but it seems to resemble a shift that took place in golf and tennis in regards to their equipment. When they went from wood rackets to graphite or whatever, the players started smacking balls at absurdly high speeds — same with golf when it came to distance. I’m not sure how much of an advantage a swimsuit can provide, but damn, $550 for a swimsuit? It better work wonders.

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