TYR unveils its challenger to Speedo's new LZR Racer suit
LOS ANGELES (AP) A new challenger to the Speedo LZR Racer swimsuit is making its debut at the French Olympic trials this week.
TYR Sport is unveiling its Tracer Rise suit, which some swimmers have been competing in since January. Speedo unveiled its suit in February. The suits are made of polyurethane woven fabric that is water-repellant and lightweight.
The LZR Racer has ultrasonically bonded seams to help reduce drag, while the Tracer Rise has compression panels that contour certain muscle groups to control movement.
Speedo claims its suit can improve performance by up to 2 percent. TYR, based in Huntington Beach, claims the improvement of its suit is up to 4 percent.
"This technology hasn't been seen before in the sport of swimming," said Steve Furniss, TYR co-founder and a 1972 Olympic swimming medalist. "Tracer Rise propels the sport into an entirely new direction by pushing the innovation envelope. Fast just got faster."
French swimmer Amaury Leveaux won the 200-meter freestyle on Tuesday wearing a Tracer. His time of 1 minute, 46.54 seconds is second-fastest in the world this year, behind the 1:45.71 by world record holder Michael Phelps wearing a Speedo suit in February.
Earlier this month, American Mary DeScenza, wearing a Tracer, broke Mary T. Meagher's U.S. record in the 200 butterfly by more than a second.
(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
|
