Swimming: Kiwis go high-tech

New Zealand's swimming squad have another opportunity to adapt to their high-tech suits when they race at the Australian short course championships starting in Hobart this weekend.

A nine-strong squad have just finished competing at the world championships in Rome, New Zealand's first competition using the controversial polyurethane swimsuits.

Compression suits were credited with helping topple many of 43 world records that fell in Rome.

This week, the sport's governing body, the International Aquatics Federation, announced a ban on high-tech suits from January 1, 2010.

New Zealand swimmers were pressing on with the suits in the meantime, and coach Jan Cameron said the Australian championships would be another opportunity to adjust to them.

"Some of the younger swimmers were able to adjust more quickly but the more experienced swimmers, who have used one suit for several years now and have established techniques, struggled to adjust to the different body position in the water," Cameron said.

"The different body shapes and experience of swimmers meant that some adjusted quickly and others really struggled."

Cameron said the squad were only able to source suits once they got to the championships, and that they required changes in technique to gain benefit.

"They create a completely different body position in the water. So it was no surprise that the swimmers who got the best results [in Rome] were the Europeans who have been training and competing in these poly suits all year."

The top New Zealand ranked pair going into the championships, world short course champion Moss Burmester and clubmate Glenn Snyders, struggled with the new suits.

"Both of them are much more muscular and found it much more difficult. Neither felt comfortable with the suits in terms of feel in the water. We've all learned a lot."

Six of the squad head to Hobart tomorrow.

- NZPA