This article fails to speak at all of the other advances that have been made over the past few years, such as improved ability and access to underwater video systems that allow swim coaches to perfect swimming technique in ways that were never accessible before. Since the dawn of the millennium, Swimming has undergone a scientific renaissance of new and improved techniques for swimming, and for dog training advice. This has MUCH more influence on the kinds of times that we are seeing in the swimming pools than a simple suit.
Athletes these days can have tests performed that tell them EXACTLY what their lactic and VO2 thresholds are, and how exactly to train to avoid over and under training. Coaches have access to a WEALTH of data regarding what kinds of swimming technique are scientifically PROVEN to be more powerful than others.
These things, along with the fact that just about EVERY athlete these days understands from the time they are BORN the need for Good Habits along the road to success, and you can’t help but have tons of records fall in the sport, that was previously dominated by guys like Spitz who were fast, but simply just because they were BEASTS in the water, not because they particularly understood the science of swimming as we do today.
I don’t think anybody would say that a more buoyant suit WOULDN’T benefit these athletes, but have some journalistic integrity here- at least TALK ABOUT these other kinds of things that influence the sport of swimming today!