Swimming: Adlington to boycott new high-tech swimsuits

July 20, 2024

The Olympic champion, Rebecca Adlington, is sticking to her principles and is refusing to wear the latest technology to come out of swimming, as she claims it to be “technological doping”.

Adlington, who was a double gold medallist at the last Olympics, has the hopes and expectations of Britain resting on her shoulders to bring home the gold in 2012. However she has announced her decision not to wear a new performance enhancing swimsuit.

She has described the new technology as a form of “technological doping” and will be sticking to the Speedo suit that won her gold in Beijing.

“I would never in a million years take a drug to help me, so why would I wear a suit to improve my performance?” she said. “It’s just not me.”

The technology works in much of the same way as a wetsuit. By compressing muscle and trapping air, the suit provides extra buoyancy in the water. It is made from 100% polyurethane and reduces drag through the water. However critics claim that this is not keeping in conduct with the rules of the sport.

The suits have already been introduced into competitions and they have proved to have an astonishing affect on a swimmers performance. Last month, Germany’s Britta Steffen broke the world record in the 100m freestyle in the new adidas Hydrofoil suit.

“This suit is of a different world,” she said afterwards. “It felt like a speedboat in water and never in my life would I have believed that a human could glide like that.”

However, in spite of the suits proven ability to increase a swimmer’s performance, Adlington will be sticking to her principles, even if it means reducing her chances of achieving gold.

“I got into swimming for the love of swimming and I work as hard as I do because I feel I can achieve things, but I don’t want to stand up there on a box and improve just from wearing a suit,” she said.

Talking about those who do opt to wear she suit she diplomatically commented,

“It’s their decision, but I’ve chosen not to wear it and that is just down to my own morals.”

It is certain that these new swimsuits have already caused a lot of controversy and debate, but will this new technology make records irrelevant and will it put young people off entering into the sport?

Sam Cook, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine

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