Suit sinks swimmer's record bid

SYDNEY, Australia -- World record-holder Jessicah Schipper will meet with Speedo representatives after her racing suit sank her bid to lower the 200-meter butterfly mark at the Australian Olympic swimming trials.

Schipper was on course to break her record at each of the three turns before running out of energy on the final lap because her LZR Racer had filled with water. It's the same full-body Speedo costume that has helped propel swimmers to 13 world records since its introduction six weeks ago.

"It felt like I was swimming in a drag suit," Schipper told reporters after winning Wednesday's final. "I was pulling myself through and was actually getting really dizzy and had to keep my head down so then I ended up not breathing as much as I should have."

Speedo officials said they were "disappointed" by the incident and will work with Schipper, 21, to ensure her costumes are correctly fitted before the Beijing Olympics in August. The suits, made of lightweight, water-repellant fabric, stretch from neck to ankle, leaving the shoulder blades and arms uncovered.

"We are conducting a thorough investigation but are confident this is not endemic to the suit," Rob Davies, general manager of Speedo Australia, said in a statement.

The spate of records has prompted swimming's governing body, FINA, to schedule an investigation into the Speedo suits, which were partially designed by NASA, during next month's short-course world championships in Manchester, England.

"There are concerns about suits being like triathlon suits, which are thicker," FINA Executive Director Cornel Marculescu told SwimNews.com. "There are buoyancy issues. We have to review this."

FINA also wants to make sure the suits, which cost about $550, are available to all athletes and not just those from the richest teams or with agreements with Speedo.

Speedo says the seamless outfit cuts drag in the water by 5 percent and helps maintain body position in the water through the use of corset-like supports.