 merrie says: But no one thought this was a fair fight. Phelps' coach even threatened to pull his star from future international meets unless the governing body acts with more urgency to get rid of suits that have rendered the record book obsolete. "The suits make a difference," Biedermann said. "I hope there will be a time when I can beat Michael Phelps without these suits. I hope next year. I hope it's really soon." Phelps can't wait. "It's going to be fun next year," he said, "when swimming is back to swimming." Phelps took his first major individual loss in four years, doled out by a swimmer barely known outside his country until he got to Rome. In the space of three days, the 22-year-old German wiped Ian Thorpe's name out of the record book in the 400 free, then he took down the winningest Olympian with a time of 1 minute, 42.00 seconds, nearly a second faster than Phelps' 1:42.96 at Beijing. "Biedermann just took off," Phelps said. "He took it to a new level in that race." But how much was the man? How much was the suit? Biedermann wore an Arena X-Glide, which has taken its place alongside the Jaked suit as the fastest thing on water. Yes, even faster than Speedo’s once-heralded suit, which battered the record book in 2008 but was surpassed by attire that’s even more buoyant, allowing the swimmer to glide along the top of the water with less resistance. Shortly before the race, FINA confirmed that a ban on bodysuits will go into effect next year, making this the last major competition where such suits are allowed. It will take effect by May 2010. Not soon enough for Phelps’ coach. Finally, Phelps climbed toward the stands to drop off a stuffed mascot with ... |
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