3 World Records Broken in Speedo LZR Racer on Day 2
11.08.2008
Day 2 at the Water Cube and the swimming stars are back under the spotlight. The Speedo LZR RACER rules the pool again as our Speedo starsbreak World Records (WR’s) and bag more gold medals. Last night the USA team smashed a WR (3.:12.23) in the Men’s 4x 100m Freestyle Relay semifinals so they came to the pool today determined todestroy the opposition once again. The race was electrifying and had thecrowd on the edge of their seats. The American’s didn’t fail to entertain, Michael Phelps was first in the pool for the US with Eammon Sullivan (AUS) taking the lead. The French surged ahead with the US closely behind and asthey came up to the final change over it was neck and neck. The atmospherein the Cube was sizzling with the crowd screaming and jumping up and down.With only strokes to go the US sneaked ahead to steal the gold and breakthe WR they had set last night at 3:08.24. Sullivan also broke a WR with atime of 47.24. Current World Champion Libby Trickett (AUS) took on fellow Aussie Jessica Schipper (AUS) in the Women’s 100m Butterfly. It was Speedo LZR RACER’Sall round, with every swimmer kitted out in one. From the start the race was sizzling, Trickett took the lead in the first lap but was chased all the way by Christine Magnusson (USA) and Schipper. At the last lap Trickett nudged in front taking top spot at 56.73. Magnusson landed the silver (57.10) and Schipper the bronze (57.25). As Trickett was handed hergold medal the Aussie crowd cheered her on before she made her way over toher family for a hug. On winning her gold medal she said: “It’s more than I could of dreamed of. More than anything, I’m relieved”. All eyes were on the defending champ Kosuke Kitajima (JPN) in the Men’s100m Breaststroke final. The first lap was tight but it turned into adifferent story all together. Kitajima began to break way turning up thegas and snatching the gold alongside a WR in the Speedo LZR RACER (58.91).Speedo athlete Hugues Duboscq (FRA) took the bronze at 59.37. Kitajimaspoke of his performance: “In the first half I made myself relaxed, tried to swim with big strokes.I knew that the last five to 10 metres would be the decisive part, so in the first part I wanted to keep my energy. My race went as I’d planned”.
It was huge day for British swimming. In the Women’s 400m Freestyle GB’s Rebecca Adlington upped the pace and snatched the gold. Adlington is thefirst British woman to win a gold medal in swimming since Anita Lonsboroughat the 1960 games in Rome. The Men’s 200m Freestyle semifinal saw Peter Vanderkaay (USA) snag first place at 1:45.76 in a Speedo LZR RACER. Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) took another WR (58.77) in the Speedo LZR RACER todayas she battled with Margaret Hoelzer in the Women’s 100m Backstroke. Inthe second race Speedo sponsored athlete Natalie Coughlin (USA) got off toa flying start and snatched the top spot securing her place in the final. Rebecca Soni (USA) and Speedo athlete Leisel Jones (AUS) secured their spotin the Women’s 100m Breaststroke finals both wearing the Speedo LZR RACER. So another 3 WR’s smashed in Speedo LZR RACER and it’s only day 2!! Today also saw 100% of gold medals secured by swimmers wearing the suit! Meanwhile out of the pool the parents of the Speedo stars dropped into the Speedo Sports Club for lunch. The parents enjoyed a relaxing afternoon in the Speedo garden. Some of the world’s biggest media outlets came along tocatch up with the Hackett’s, Lochte’s, Hoff’s and Veldhuis’s. Debbie Phelps was ecstatic with her son’s performance in the relay. She said: “That relay, it’s still going through my head. That could have beenanyone’s race. They were phenomenal, phenomenal 100 freestylers in thatwater, and they were all determined to take the US down, but we rallied andwe definitely took the relay in great pride.” The parents of Eammon Sullivan chilled in the garden during lunch, His mum told us how she gets nervous before he races saying: “I can’t relax, I get so tense.”