U.S. swimmers won't get to wear adidas' hot new Hydrofoil, which Germany's Britta Steffen called a "weird piece of equipment" after using it to set a 100m freestyle world record. (Michael Sohn, Associated Press)
As if they weren’t confused enough, U.S. swimmers can forget about trying out the coveted new adidas Hydrofoil suit — which has been responsible for a host of recent records — at the U.S. championships in Indianapolis next week.
The German-based adidas did not submit an application by Wednesday’s deadline to have its suits available at the event, which serves as the trials for the world championships at the end of this month, a USA Swimming spokesperson confirmed Thursday.
Germany’s Britta Steffen set a world record (52.85) in the 100-meter freestyle heats last week at the German championships while wearing the Hydrofoil, then improved upon the mark in Saturday’s final (52.56). After, she described the suit as a “weird piece of equipment”; said she thought it should be banned; and remarked that she felt like a “speedboat in water” wearing it.
Since the suit was approved for use at by the sport’s governing body (FINA) at the July 25-Aug. 2 world swimming championships in Rome, U.S. officials wanted to make sure all U.S. athletes had access to it and the other super suits that recently have been launched.
USA Swimming received applications from 12 other suit manufacturers, including Tyr, Jaked, blueseventy and Speedo, before Wednesday’s 11:59 p.m. deadline. USA Swimming spokesperson Jamie Fabos Olson said she did not know why adidas did not apply; it was sent a memo June 5 requesting that it submit the required paperwork.
Linda Murphy, a spokesperson for adidas, said Friday the company decided not to attend out of respect for the contract USA Swimming has with Speedo.
“We don’t sponsor the U.S. swimming federation,” Murphy said by phone from the company’s office in Herzogenaurach, Germany. “They are sponsored by one of our rivals. That’s the reason” we are not attending.
Conspiracy theories surely will abound, as U.S. athletes are free to wear any suit they like, and Australian swimmers also reportedly have been unable to get their hands on the Hydrofoils. An adidas marketing agent told the Australian team the company would be unable to provide a supply of the new suits until three days before the world championships, The Age in Australia reported this week.
Adidas does not have a contract with any national federations, Murphy said, but its sponsored athletes include Steffen; Germany’s Helge Meeuw; France’s Coralie Balmy; British swimmers Jo Jackson and David Davies; and Australians Cate Campbell and Jessicah Schipper.
Meeuw and Davies set national records in the suit.
The company developed the Hydrofoil, which it claims “molds the swimmer into a more streamlined shape and helps them move more efficiently through the water,” after the 2008 Summer Games.
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