Monday, March 05, 2012

Was she wearing two swim caps? - Rebecca Adlington qualifies for the British Olympic team in the 400m Free

I am confident that it is not illegal to wear two swim caps but it is an odd thing to do so I thought I would try it.

Yesterday while at workout I found that by wearing two silicone caps my head floated in a higher position due to the air the caps trap. This could be an de facto aid when sprinting. It is an odd habit and I wonder why most elite swimmers do it?

Rebecca Adlington wearing two caps and a set of Speedo googles; (they don't look like the FASTSKIN3 goggles), logged a 4:02.35 to set a British record and qualify for the British Olympic team. Last year Federica Pellegrini swam a 4:01.97 edging out Adlinton who swam a 4:02.85 and though Adlington is swimming faster than she did last year but Federica Pellegrini is still the girl to beat. I look forward to seeing what Pellegrini does when she swims at Italian Nationals.

From the BBC:
An emotional Adlington told 5 live sports extra she was nervous before the race, describing the trial as the biggest of her career.
"I wasn't even bothered about the time, I just wanted to get in," said Adlington, who became a household name after winning gold in the 400m and 800m freestyle in Beijing in 2008.
"Four years it has taken to get to this point and you can't imagine how good it feels to get here."

[Link]

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nope two is not illegal. One can wear up to two caps.

Tony Austin said...

I agree... I suspect securing one's goggles to their head is the primary reason.

Anonymous said...

Nope, primary reason is that the outer cap goes on much smoother and creates less turbulence. Under-cap compresses the hair, outer cap creates a smooth surface. 2 cheap caps can do the same thing that speedo wants to charge you $70 for: http://www.speedousa.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12413585&view=all&cp=3124322.3124334.3132097

http://www.speedousa.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12413586&view=all&cp=3124322.3124334.3132097

And since she's a Speedo athlete, I'd guess that she's wearing "the system"

Anonymous said...

I can pretty confidently say that was the fastskin 3 'hair management'

Sonny said...

I can pretty confidently say that was the fastskin 3 'hair management'

Anonymous said...

its become common in our HS to wear a latex under a silicone dome cap

Anonymous said...

jaja.. como escribo muy mal en inglés, lo pongo en español: usa dos gorros para que no se mueva ninguno

Tony Austin said...

Your English is fun - but you may post in Spanish

Hadar Aviram said...

I've worn two caps before to keep warm in open water, but I find that it puts a lot of pressure on my head and gives me a nasty headache.

Anonymous said...

So, silly. Phelps wears two caps all the time.

Tony Austin said...

Why wear two caps?

Fray Mollo said...

A: To show two different sponsors and get double paid!

Tony Austin said...

NICE!

Matthew said...

Silicone types are becoming popular as they are used alternatively by those who develop allergy with latex swimming head covers. But the downside is that they can be a bit more expensive than latex and can slip more easily.

Triathlon Swim Caps