Despite most versions only being approved last month, polyurethane costumes are poised to be banned from 2010 with governing body FINA planning to return to an era of textile suits and male trunks.
The first day of the Rome worlds will enter swimming folklore but for many it will be for all the wrong reasons.
Six world records were bettered, two in semi-finals where 15-year-old Sarah Sjostrom and American Ariana Kukors were genuinely surprised by their achievements in the 100 metres butterfly and 200 individual medley respectively.
Dara Torres, whose U.S. women’s 4x100m relay team finished fourth behind gold medallists and world record breakers the Netherlands, said the sport was in turmoil.
“It will be great when they go back (to the old rules) and they find out who the real swimmers are. A lot of the athletes in the back were saying this is crazy, that this is the last time it is going to happen,” Torres, 42, told reporters.
“I don’t know if they are going to keep the records or put an asterisk by them. But even if it were me out there breaking a world record, I don’t think I’d be jumping for joy.”
Germany’s Britta Steffen also shattered her own world record in the first leg of the relay when she cut through the water like a speedboat in a time of 52.22 seconds.
Mild fever
The records books were taking a battering and Italian Pellegrini was happy to oblige despite having a mild fever.
S
he rocketed to gold in the women’s 400 freestyle, breaking the four minute barrier to destroy her own world record and leave Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington trailing in her wake.
The magazine cover girl surged through the open air pool in 3 minutes 59.15 having swum a record 4:00.41 last month.
“I was running a little bit of a fever before the race so I decided I would just stick on my Ipod and kick back and relax,” she said.
Britain’s Joanne Jackson was second and compatriot Adlington third in Speedo’s LZR suit, which was the first of the new costumes but has now been usurped by the likes of Jaked.
Michael Phelps, who won a record eight golds at last year’s Beijing Olympics, is also contracted to Speedo and he was only third in the first leg of the men’s 4×100 relay won by his American team.
Ian Thorpe’s 2002 world best in the men’s 400 metres freestyle final was thought to be as good as sacred but Germany’s Paul Biedermann swam 3 minutes 40.07 to beat the mark by one hundredth of a second and take gold.
South Korea’s Olympic champion Park Tae-hwan missed out on the final after finishing only 12th overall in the heats.
A host of championship records fell in the morning heats under a blistering Rome sun and although the temperature cooled for the evening session, performances continued to soar.
Spain’s Rafael Munoz qualified first for today’s 50 metres butterfly final in a championship record of 22.68 seconds but defending champion Roland Schoeman crashed out in his semi.
Cancer survivor Eric Shanteau of the United States also set a world best in his 100 breaststroke semi-final.
