Swimmers bid farewell to record-breaking suits, but some believe they’ll one day make comeback

Swimmers bid farewell to high-tech bodysuits

ATLANTA — For Rowdy Gaines, it was the last chance to squeeze into one of those high-tech swimsuits. No way he was passing that up.

Gaines, who won three gold medals at the 1984 Olympics, competed this past weekend at the U.S. Masters short course nationals in Atlanta. For him and the others, it was a final opportunity to wear the neck-to-ankle suits that revolutionized the sport.

The suits are now banned by all the major governing bodies, a decision that’s been praised by most top-level swimmers but has resulted in much slower times. Masters has outlawed the suits, as well, but allowed them to be worn through the end of the month.

The suits went out with a bang — 103 individual and 19 relay records were set at the Atlanta meet.