Japanese Cyclist to Wear Speedo LZR in Olympics

Japanese Cyclist to Wear Speedo LZR in Olympics

This is wild!  

AFP is reporting that Japanese Olympic cyclist Tomohiro Nagatsuka plans to wear Speedo’s record-breaking LZR Racer swimwear beneath his track racing suit in his quest for a medal at the Beijing Games.

Knee-length LZR shorts helped him slash his personal 250m record by about 0.2 seconds to 17.8 seconds in training, Nagatsuka told reporters, according to local media yesterday.

“I thought what was effective in swimming would be also good in cycling,” said Nagatsuka.

“I presume it is Speedo’s body-squeezing effect, not a reduction in air resistance, that helps,” added the 29-year-old.

The LZR Racer was developed with the help of the US space agency NASA. It uses a high-tech fabric of water-resistant polyurethane and is structured to squeeze the swimmer’s body into the right posture.

It has taken swimming by storm, playing a role in 44 of the 48 short- and long-course world records since it debuted in February.

“In swimming, they speak highly of LZR’s effect to constrict the body’s surface area. I myself liked the way it supported muscles with a strong embrace,” Nagatsuka said.

Will we be seeing the LZR in track & field in the near future?  Speed skating?  Luge?  Ironman?