Thursday, 10 April 2008 22:52 UK
E-mail this to a friend Printable version
US coach says no record is safe
Schubert says a US clean sweep in Beijing is a ‘strong possibility’
The head coach of the US team believes almost all swimming world records will be broken at the 2008 Olympics.
Mark Schubert, who will be coaching at his eighth Olympics, forecasts a glut of records due to a combination of athletic excellence and technology.
“I wouldn’t be surprised to see nearly every world record broken,” he said.
Twenty-three new world records have been set since mid-February - most by swimmers wearing the new LZR Racer swimsuit made by Speedo.
One of Schubert’s swimmers, Jessica Hardy, became the latest world record-breaker on Thursday, lowering the 50m breaststroke mark to 29.58 seconds at the World Short Course Championships at the MEN Arena in Manchester.
Italian coach Alberto Castagnetti has dubbed the LZR a form of “technological doping”, but Schubert believes there is more to the current stream of record-breaking performances.
“I would never want to say it was just the suit, because it’s not,” he said.
606: DEBATE
Swimming is moving forward rapidly and 2008 is going to be a very exciting year for the sport
Ian Wright, GB swimming coach
"It takes the person in the suit to break the record but this new suit is that much better than anything seen before.
“In our sport, we really have great and talented personalities. That, combined with the new technology, leaves a strong possibility that every world record will be wiped out.”
Swimming’s governing body, Fina, will meet suit manufacturers in Manchester on Saturday in a bid to clarify the impact of the new technology.
Schubert says he is not predicting a clean sweep for the US at Beijing’s Olympic swimming events in August, but insists it remains a “strong possibility”.
British swimmer Rebecca Adlington, who is wearing the LZR suit for the first time in Manchester, sliced 11 seconds off her lifetime best in the 800m freestyle on Thursday.
In an eight-minute long race, Adlington was just a quarter of a second away from earning the suit another world record.
