OBJECTIVE
To develop the best and fastest swimwear by improving on the award winning Speedo Aquablade™,
reducing the total amount of drag, and moving away from the traditional style of swimwear. Speedo
looked to designs from nature to produce a suit that allows swimmers to glide through water faster than
ever before. It would be a suit that helped swimmers achieve their personal best.

DEVELOPMENT PARAMETERS
SPEEDO will only focus on the management of existing forces and will only more effectively make
use of the talents an athlete already has. will never compromise sporting integrity.

FASTSKIN™ FABRIC
The shark, a creature that is fast in water but not naturally hydrodynamic, was used as a model for the
Fastskin™ swimsuit. The shark's quickness is attributed to V-shaped ridges on its skin called dermal
denticles, which decrease drag and turbulence around its body, allowing the surrounding water to pass
over the shark more effectively. Due to the drag effect that occurs when an object travels through
water, Fastskin™ fabric was constructed with built-in ridges emulating sharkskin. Fastskin™ is composed
of "super stretch" fabric made to improve the suits fit and compress muscles. The result is a reduction
of drag and muscle vibration, which increases productivity.

ULTIMATE FIT
Speedo used a revolutionary body scanning process to define and understand each swimmers' body
shape. By scanning digital images of swimmers in eight different positions, Speedo was able to identify
exactly how the body moves and stretches. Using this information, Speedo created a suit with a much
closer fit.

Using this technology, Speedo has created the only 3-D swimsuit pattern in existence, which
emphasizes good position in the water and reduces drag. With no excess fabric and a maximum
stretch, Speedo was able to produce a swimsuit that allows a full range of motion for a swimmer.

BODY MOVEMENT
Since muscles work in groups, the Fastskin™ suit aids in connecting muscles through a combination of
panels and unique seaming. Speedo created an anatomic/dynamic pattern where seams act like
tendons and provide tension in the suit while the fabric panels act like muscles, stretching and
returning to their original shape. Seams are an instrumental element in minimizing drag and optimizing
performance. Because the seam plays such a vital role in allowing fabric to be stretched to maximum
tension, which gives complete freedom of movement, the number of stitches is very high in the
Fastskin™ suit.

A Fastskin™ swimsuit contains 22 stitches for every 1 inch of seaming. Every inch sewn uses 52 inche
s of thread.

GRIPPE
Through continuous research and testing with some of the world's most elite swimmers, Speedo found
that athlete concerns focused upon the loss of the "feel of the water" along the inner forearm. To
remedy this, Speedo incorporated gripper fabric in the Fastskin™ along this area. The gripper fabric is
used to mimic skin and replace the swimmer's sensory requirements, increasing the "grip" or feel for
the water through stronger friction.

TESTING
Worldwide development and testing began in September 1996, right after the Atlanta Summer
Olympics. Speedo consulted swim coaches, as well as specialists in fluid dynamics, biomechanics,
textile technology, garment engineering and sports science.

Body temperatures were recorded during extensive two-hour workout and training sessions to ensure
that wearing a full-body suit would not cause athletes to overheat. As a result, no increases in core
body temperature were recorded from these sessions.

Stroke efficiency was measured using underwater video and computer analysis.

Final testing results found the new fabric has a 3% lower surface resistance over that of the
Aquablade™, which 77% of medal winners wore in the 1996 Olympics. In addition, the Fastskin™ with
arms is 7.5% faster than all other suits tested.

Fastskin™ was fully approved by the Federation International de Natation Amateur (FINA) in November
1999.

Fundamental in the involvement, development and execution of all testing were Team Speedo athletes
:

Jenny Thompson  USA
Lenny Krayzelburg  USA
Michael Klim  AUS
Matthew Dunn  AUS
Grant Hackett  AUS
Susie O'Neill  AUS
Penny Heyns  RSA
Joanne Malar  CAN
James Hickman  GB
Marcel Wouda  NED

International Test Centers:

International Centre Aquatic Research (ICAR) USA
AIS - Australian Institute of Sport
Mizuno - Research and Development Department
MIRA - Motor Industry Research Association
SIL - R&D Department

RESULTS
At the Sydney Olympics, 28 of 33 Olympic Gold Medals were earned in Speedo Fastskin, making it the
most successful suit in the history of the Olympic Games. These unprecedented results followed a
firestorm of controversy that Speedo Fastskin endured prior to the Games, largely due to the debate
over technology versus sport.

Shortly after Sydney, Speedo Fastskin was named the "Best of What's New" by the nation's leading
science magazine, Popular Science. Then, it was selected by the Smithsonian Institute for an exhibition
on the interaction of design and nature.

But after all the press accolades and awards, Speedo is most happy that it accomplished its initial
objective - to help swimmers achieve their personal best.

WHERE AVAILABLE
SPEEDO Fastskin can now be purchased here on our site!!!