TYR swimmer, Amaury Leveaux, is probably the reason why TYR is ready to go to war with FINA.

Amaury Leveaux is threatening to boycott 2009 FINA World Championships in ROME. He feels that certain suit manufacturers have been denied the right to use the same material that their competitors use.

From Swim News:

"...Leveaux describes FINA's U-turn on its May 19 decision to ban all 100% polyurethane suits "completely incomprehensible ... on the limits of incompetence". He failed to understand how it was possible for FINA to accept an unmodified Jaked01 while other 100% poly suits had to be modified. "They started a process but they don't know where they're going."

[Link]

From the TYR Press Release Iposted earlier today:

"...This revised ruling prevents our athletes from having access to our comparable technologies that TYR has developed and are similar, or the same, to those approved by others. Not only does this create an unlevel playing field, it also presents the possibility of athletes choosing not to compete in international competition until there is clarity. This would be an unfortunate detriment to our sport. ..."

[Link]

Leveaux wants to wear the TYR Titan; simple as that. Phot author: Jmex60

It was Fred Bousquet that set the WR in the 50 LCM Free not the 'Jaked!'

Fina approved the Jaked swimsuit just like they did the Speedo LZR, the Tracer Rise, and the blueseventy Nero. The Jaked appeared in Beijing but it took an incredibly talented swimmer to break that 50 Free WR this week and Fred Bousquet was that person not his suit.

Note that the upper tier swimmers who are criticizing rubberized suits in the press are seemingly sponsored by suit manaufacturers not producing a rubberized suit.

From the Brisbane Times:

The suit wars have led to the atmosphere on the pool deck at the French national titles becoming poisonous with even Bernard's coach Denis Auguin lamenting the situation.

"I read that (Frenchman) Amaury Leveaux had a suit psychosis panic attack with all the suits before the 100 final with all of these guys wearing all these suits ... it shouldn't be that," Sullivan told AAP.

"Fair enough people get nervous but it should not be because of what someone is wearing.

"I think it is pretty ridiculous that it has got to this point."

[Link]

Oh, by the way, Bernard is sponsored by Arena.

Fan Video: Amaury Leveaux versus Alain Bernard - 100m Free in Strasbourg France!

Amuary takes the lead as soon as he breaks the surface. Look how sluggish Bernard looks and how much momentum he lost on the turn. His streamline look completely ineffectual when compared to Leveaux.

Though I admire Alain Bernard's technique more than Leveaux, Amaury Leveaux looked more relaxed and put in a seemingly effortless swim.

Leveaux "owns" Bernard twice this past weekend!

I noticed over at Swim News that Amaury Leveaux beat Alain Bernard twice:

Amaury Leveaux, Olympic silver medalist and one of the most improved swimmers in the world in 2008, got in a second victory over Olympic 100m free champion Alain Bernard at the Strasbourg International in France: the gap yesterday over 100m was 0.07sec, the gap tonight over 50m was 0.08sec, 22.12 to 22.20.

[Link]

I think Amaury Leveaux is an amazing athlete who deserves all of the success he has earned. However, I noticed that since Bernard signed with Arena, I don't see him winning. Hence, I think Amauary Leveaux has a better suit and that suit may be the new TYR Titan, I am not sure? (I will go ask.)

Eamon Sullivan in Beijing: "...Fell into swimming's oldest trap."

I think Sullivan placed 6th in the 50-free at the Beijing Olympics because of the overwhelming talent in the pool not because he looked around to check out where Alain Bernard was.

The fact that every competitor in that final swam a :21 should validate the amount of ability and talent in the pool that day.

However, it does bring up many questions about how the swimmers swam their races in Beijing. Remember Katie Hoff, who didn't want to "break a nail" as Clay Evans noted to this blog; Milord Cavic, who looked up and lost by a 100th-of-a-second to Phelps in the 200 'fly 100-meter 'fly; and even Jason Lezak who looked over at the end of the 4x100 relay at Bernard?

From The Age.com:

Let's get this straight: Sullivan didn't choke. What he did do, however - just like Ian Thorpe in his favourite 200-metre freestyle event at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, when he was a sure thing beaten by Holland's Pieter van den Hoogenband - was fall into swimming's oldest trap.

"You see little kids when they're swimming and their coaches tell them not to look around," Sullivan says, "and they're doing breaststroke and they're in front and [he motions with his head turning like a side-show clown] they look back to see where the others are. I guess you never lose that sort of thing, and when you see someone next to you, that's when instinct tells you to try harder and that's when your technique goes. ..."

[Link]

This is how close the Beijing Olympics, 50-free final went; Hail Cesar:

21.30 - Cesar Cielo
21.45 - Amaury Leveaux
21.49 - Alain Bernard
21.62 - Ashley Callus
21.64 - Ben Wildman-Tobriner
21.65 - Eamon Sullivan
21.67 - Roland Schoeman
21.72 - Stefan Nystrand

Leveaux's 0:44.94 World Record at the European Short Course Championships!

His stroke is so much different than his 50-free stroke; Great turns too.

Rijeka: 2008 European Short Course Meters Championships - New WR for Amaury Leveaux in the 50-meter free!

This was posted on You Tube an hour ago. Amaury Leveaux in a semi-final swims a 20.63! 20.48!

1 LEVEAUX Amaury FRA 20.48 NEW WR
2 BOUSQUET Frederick FRA 20.69
3 DRAGANJA Duje CRO 21.15
3 LAGUNOV Evgeny RUS 21.15
5 ORSI Marco ITA 21.32
6 FESIKOV Sergey RUS 21.42
7 NALESSO Mattia ITA 21.46
8 MURPHY Barry IRL 21.62

Frenchman Leveaux breaks 50 SCM butterfly record in a 22.29

France is becoming a swiming nation of brute force sprinters: Leveaux, Bernard, Gilot et al. The 'French Coach' sent me a link to the 'Championnats de France en petit bassin - ANGERS.' [Link]

So, talk about some inspiring swims to get me 'amped up' for Short Course Meters: Frenchman Amaury Leveaux breaks the 50 SCM butterfly record in a 22.29. [Link]

UPDATE: Here is a recap from Lane 9 News: [Link]

AP newswire: Cullen Jones will swim the 4x100 relay final with Michael Phelps!

Also, a Freudian slip on the part of the French?: "... The French believe they can ruin Phelps' hopes of going eight-for-eight in a country where eight is considered a lucky number. They've certainly got reason to be confident, putting up the best time of the year until a backup American squad broke the world record in the preliminaries on Sunday night.

The French also went under the old mark — just 13-hundredths off the U.S. time of 3:12.23 — and that was with Bernard and their other top 100 man, Fabien Gilot, resting up in preparation to join Amaury Leveaux and Frederick Bousquet in the final.

"We want to be the best," Bernard said. "It will be one of the toughest races for Michael to win. [That's the Freudian slip because he all ready is the favorite in their minds.] The world record will be in danger." [Link]

Amaury Leveaux in motion at the 2006 European Championships

Note his thumbs as his hands enter the water. They stay in close to the index finger upon entry and then open up wide during the catch so as to grab more water.