Two-time Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Caeleb Dressel will wear Speedo’s ‘super suit’ next month, in a bid to be at the forefront of innovation within the sport and see how fast a modern swimmer can go without constraints.
Dressel, who is widely regarded as the fastest swimmer in the world, broke three world records at the recent International Swimming League finals and will now don the suit in a one-off exhibition event on the 10th December.
He will wear the Speedo LZR Racer suit which was made famous at the 2008 Beijing Olympics when it was worn by 94% of swimmers who won a gold medal. Full body suits were later outlawed in 2010 by the sport’s governing body, with male swimmers reverting to the current knee-length ‘jammer’ shorts.
The event comes as Speedo celebrates its 20th anniversary of its Fastskin swimsuit range. The latest incarnation – Pure Valor and Pure Intent – have been worn for 63% of all world records broken since their launch in 2019.
The Florida-born swimmer currently holds the world record for the 50m freestyle when posting a time of 20.16 last weekend at the ISL finals in Budapest, which is a quicker time than any swimmer in the infamous LZR Racer suit ever recorded. Dressel also smashed the world record for the 100m individual medley at the International Swimming League earlier this month when he became the first person to break the 50-second barrier in that event.
Speaking about the event, Dressel said: “I’m looking forward to racing in this historic suit and really excited that Speedo has put this event together. I’m not sure what to expect time wise but I am confident I can put together a well-executed race and we’ll see what happens. I was too young to experience the hype of the LZR Racer, but I feel I am part of it now. Speedo has always been the front runner in swimming and I am always proud to be partnered with a brand that continually pushes the boundaries of innovation.”
Rob Hicking, Brand Director at Speedo, added: “The impact of the Speedo LZR Racer suit remains a seminal moment in the world of swimming – known as the ‘Super Suit’ era. We have always been committed to finding an edge for our swimmers and have tried everything from sharkskin modelling to testing alongside NASA in the past 20 years under our Fastskin banner.
“We’ve all seen swimmers get stronger and faster in the water and have only speculated about what could be achieved if technological advances were not restricted. We’re really excited to find out what’s possible. It’s been a tough year for swimmers around the world and so we hope this can provide some inspiration as people start getting back into the pool.”
Speedo will release footage of Dressel’s attempts in a specially-commissioned video which will be published across its social media channels at 9am PST/5pm GMT on the 10th December.
