Some Aging Competitors Call High-Tech Swimsuits Dirty Pool

From left, Joel Stager, Gary Hall Sr., Peter Finn and Edilson Silva won the men's 400-meter medley relay at the U.S. Masters 2009 Long Course National Championships in Indianapolis.

Fabric Streamlines Bulges, Adds Buoyancy; Lifetime Bests From a $500 Fountain of Youth

By SUZANNE SATALINE
WSJ

Competition was fierce at a July swimming meet in Thousand Oaks, Calif. At the starting buzzer, Clay Evans, 56 years old, dived into the pool, dressed in a get-up like the one he wore in the 1976 Olympics: a flimsy nylon Speedo bikini.

It took less than 2½ minutes for the Los Angeles athlete to fall hopelessly behind the times.

Michael Mann of Centennial, Colo., flew past his opponents, swaddled shoulder-to-ankle in a black neoprene bodysuit. Mr. Mann, 55, won the 400-meter individual medley race and set a world record for his age group, 55 to 59. Mr. Mann set new world marks in the 200-, 400- and 800-meter freestyle while Mr. Evans steamed.

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