Tianxia Sports Network, encompassing all sports events under the sky. Although several world records were broken at the Rome World Championships, it seems that the main characters creating these records were not the athletes themselves, but rather super swimsuits represented by Jaked. How much assistance do super swimsuits provide to swimmers? L'Equipe selected three representative swimsuits from five brands, testing swimsuits of different materials (traditional fabrics, semi-polyurethane, full polyurethane). From wearing, swimming to floating, they conducted a performance analysis on the traditional fabric swimsuit Arena R-Evolution, the semi-polyurethane swimsuit Speedo LZR, and the full polyurethane swimsuit Jaked 01, thereby understanding the characteristics of the new sharkskin swimsuits.
The tester was Pierre Roger, aged 26, standing at 1.96 meters with a weight of 87 kilograms. He participated in the Athens and Beijing Olympics. At last year's European Championships, he became the first French swimmer to try out the Jaked full polyurethane swimsuit, breaking the French backstroke record at the French National Championships.
To minimize factors affecting the accuracy and fairness of the test, Roger would only swim four 50-meter laps at the regular speed of a 200-meter race. To measure the gliding effect, he fixed his arms for ten strokes, using the distance covered as an evaluation basis. To ensure standardization and uniformity of actions, he also underwent specific training.
2 meters
This is the extra distance covered wearing the Jaked swimsuit compared to the Arena traditional fabric swimsuit after ten arm strokes. Roger exclaimed: "This is terrifying." Wearing the Arena traditional fabric swimsuit, Roger covered 16 meters; the Speedo semi-polyurethane swimsuit, 17 meters; the Jaked full polyurethane swimsuit, 18 meters, though the back of this swimsuit had cracked, reducing its efficiency. Roger said: "Everything seems effortless, it feels like the swimsuit can move on its own. When my arms stroke, my legs naturally float up, making me feel much stronger." This effect is especially useful in the last few dozen meters of a race. "Generally speaking, by the final 50 meters, I feel like I 'stand' up, but now I only need to focus on the last 10 meters."
2 seconds 08
This is the improvement in Roger's 50-meter backstroke time while wearing the Jaked swimsuit. He first swam 50 meters in a standard swimsuit, recording a time of 24";78, then changed into another swimsuit. When Roger tested the traditional fabric Arena swimsuit, his teammates began to tease him because it was an antique swimsuit from the preliminary heats of the Beijing Olympics.
The advantage of this swimsuit lies in "you don't feel it, ensuring ample mobility, with no tension at the knee or elbow joints, feeling very light." The swimsuit's 50-meter time was 23";45. "The difference between this swimsuit and those worn by ordinary people is that you feel the water doesn't stick to your body, allowing swift passage through the water. The only drawback is that after using it 6 or 7 times, it becomes ineffective, and water seeps in. But the Arena swimsuit remains the best among traditional swimsuits."
Next, Roger switched to the Speedo swimsuit, with a final 50-meter time of 23";20. Roger said: "Actually, this swimsuit won't benefit backstroke swimmers too much, as it contains less polyurethane on the back, so its most significant effect should be on butterfly and freestyle. The best part is that it fits tightly, passing through water well. But sometimes I even feel the new swimsuit is too tight, especially around the chest, restricting smooth breathing."
Finally, it was the Jaked swimsuit. Roger said: "It feels more comfortable than the semi-polyurethane swimsuit, moving freely, due to its uniform material. The force distribution is very even. It feels very light, as if I've merged with the water, feeling quite pleasant." Due to a tear in the back of the Jaked during dressing, its effectiveness was reduced, resulting in a final time of 22";70.
6 minutes
It takes at least 6 minutes to properly wear a Jaked 01 swimsuit, which is three times longer than the other two types of swimsuits.
"You have to tame your swimsuit," starting from putting it on. Putting on a swimsuit requires patience and some physical effort. Friction is unavoidable when pulling on a dry polyurethane swimsuit.
There are no issues with the Arena traditional swimsuit, which can be put on within two minutes, immediately ready for competition. "Other swimsuits need to be worn two or three times during training to ensure a proper fit." These swimsuits have a high probability of malfunctioning at critical moments.
Speedo takes about the same amount of time, but it will never go smoothly. "Sometimes, we have to put plastic bags on our feet to pull the swimsuit above the ankles, as it's extremely tight. Pulling it over the hips is painful, but it becomes more comfortable around the chest."
The first two swimsuits are already somewhat cumbersome, and the Jaked 01 swimsuit is even harder to wear. Watching athletes put on their swimsuits feels asymmetrical, as if the swimsuit could rip at any moment. After pulling it over the ankles, Roger carefully continued inch by inch. "Generally, we need gloves, otherwise, we might hurt our fingers." Finger injuries serve as proof. After three minutes, only the lower leg part was properly dressed. "You must dress the legs first, so the rest can fit more precisely."
Another minute of effort was needed to reach the hips, and another minute to reach the shoulders, requiring another person's help to tighten the back. The final minute was spent finishing up, totaling a difficult 6 minutes. Rushing through the process is tiring, but if there's no rush, spending 15 to 20 minutes is also normal.
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