Suit Technology Wars

In 2008, Speedo's LZR Racer — a full-body polyurethane suit — compressed the body, cut friction, and trapped air for buoyancy. At the Beijing Olympics, 23 world records fell. By 2009, over 130 records had been broken.

FINA banned full-body suits in 2010, restricting men to jammers and women to kneeskins made of textile only. Many records from the suit era still stand — proof that in a sport decided by hundredths of a second, materials science can outpace years of training.