I’m interested in knowing more about this, never really thought about it except that in some pools I’m slower one way than the other in training and put it down to other factors like the pool getting shallower (which also affects the speed). Id never considered the filtration system blowing jets of water, but it makes sense. My gym pool blows water straight across the end lane and you can feel it push you sideways as you swim past.
The banned tech is an interesting point, but they didn’t remove the records with the old suits from the books, did they?
People just got faster with the new suits
I was on a camp in Leeds ~2007/2008 when new pool was built. Didn’t notice it until a coach started wondering why I was messing around repeatedly taking 32-34 strokes each way in a sustained swim.
Then counted everyone else in the lane and everyone taking several strokes more one way.
Moved there full-time 2009, and senior squad trained in lanes 7-10. Sessions of say 20x50 max going head to head off the blocks and you very quickly notice how uncompetitive you are one way. Led to a mad scramble after warm up trying to fight for which lane you wanted to swim in.
Same happened in a temporary pool for world champs 5-10 years ago. Analysed the 1500m splits and noticed everyone at one end had a differential one-way, people in the middle were even splitting, and people on other side of the pool were going fast/slow in other directions
Yes although bigger difference from suits was for bigger people. So the sprints have struggled to be beaten
Oh wow. I always felt like I can go better in one direction at the JC pool and my local one. Wonder if this is why?
Sorry, back to doping.
I guess that’s another reason middle lanes are faster in competition as well in a lot of pools, unless you are doing a LCM 50 the “right way” . I assume they turn the system off in big meets. You know you’ve ruined my spectating at the LAC now as I’m going to be counting strokes and taking notes
That would need 100% testing; in theory.
Is it just a pre-dated cheque?
ETA:
No, apparently the 20.89 swim was in February, and he’d only been doping for 2 weeks at the time.
Last week he tried it on the current legal shorts after 2 months doping (where he now looks huge, as above), and went 21.0. Fastest time ever in shorts but still not the “WR”.
PR marketing that they’ve kept silent about the swim since Feb
not many swimmers earning that money, even the sprinters doing the rounds
I know nothing about short course elite swimming apart from the times look like typos
That’s 6:30 per km pace ish ?! Swimming that fast is beyond comprehension to me.
So trt companies are paying the bills or is there a weirdo billionaire in here somewere ?!
It’s all a bit “ weird”
Might be being covered by the Enhanced Games for now, as they’re only actually working with a couple athletes, as they’re overseeing/prescribing the drugs.
But tbh I hate that it’s caught my attention and I’m giving them meaning by talking about it, when I’d rather see it fail and wither away. The more publicity the sports side gets the more base they have to try make money from selling questionable supplements to the public, which is their long-term plan for commercialising this.
Will there be compulsory drug testing? Do they get suspended if they’ve been found not to have juiced for 6mths?
I’d hope/assume every athlete who admits to doping for the enhanced games is getting a 4 year WADA ban?
Quite the transformation for this guy… holy sh*t..
Coaches too, who are covered by the rules and could potentially get life bans.
And any doctors, if the gear was prescribed
FT has a piece yesterday saying the guy had broken the record. But the record books will remain unchanged by this and similar freak shows
Probably turn up in age group racing in a few years!
I watched the Roadman Podcast on YT on PEDs the other day; I think he said that at a Masters race in France, out of a field of 130, only 52 finished when it was announced there would be doping control at the finish. I guess if people are prepared to cheat their tax, on their partners and to get on at work, then doping isn’t really a stretch.