
Adlington welcomes level playing field
Double Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington admits she will be glad when the new year comes and the technologically enhanced swimsuits will be consigned to history.
More than 230 world records have been set since the introduction of the Speedo LZR in February 2008 with the likes of Jaked and Arena taking technology further this year with the 100% polyurethane suits.
Times tumbled dramatically with 43 world records going at the World Championships in Rome in the summer forcing FINA, the world governing body, into ruling on the issue.
From January 1 2010 the suits will be textile only with far less coverage of the body and Adlington will be one of many who will welcome the change when swimmers will compete like for like.
The 20-year-old told Press Association Sport: "I think everyone is looking forward to it to be honest.
"A lot of people wore the suits because they're sponsored by them or because they wanted to make finals.
"It's not like the swimmers chose this, they've done nothing wrong.
"I think everybody is looking forward to not going through the pain of putting the suit on, I think that is going to be a good thing not spending 40 minutes trying to get in it.
"It is good from a swimming point of view to just get back down to that - I think everybody is looking forward to it, and me."
The Nova Centurion swimmer was adamant in the build-up to the worlds she would stick with the LZR, which she donned en-route to her triumph in the 400metres and 800m freestyle in Beijing.
In Rome she claimed bronze in the 400m free and 4x200m relay before coming fourth in the 800m.
Adlington claims she was not affected by what others chose to wear but instead wanted to be able to compare her times and thus her progression in the same suit.
"I didn't really think about it too much to be honest because I can't ever control what another swimmer does and what they are wearing or what they are doing," she added.
"You've just got to concentrate on yourself and I think you learn that in a sport anyway so I just completely went off what I wanted to do.
"And I wanted to compare the times - everyone is welcome to wear whatever they want to wear. I wasn't like 'oh my gosh, she's wearing that'. It wasn't a case of that at all."
*Speedo ambassador Rebecca Adlington wears the LZR Racer Elite suit to compete in. She will be competing against the USA in Manchester at the British Gas Duel in the Pool on December 18-19. For more information go to www.speedo.co.uk.
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