Ratings

Speedo LZR

At the Beijing Olympic pool, perhaps the only star bigger than Michael Phelps was his swimsuit. The Speedo LZR (pronounced “laser”), like Phelps, didn’t disappoint: 16 of the 32 gold-medal winners wore the full-body suit, and another 13 wore LZR pants. The suit was so effective, in fact, that some swimmers claimed it was illegally buoyant. Polyurethane planks replace woven fabric at key locations such as the upper legs, lowering drag by 24 percent over previous versions.