Speedo to make waves in London

There’s no question that Speedo will take swimming to new heights at the London Olympics this year with a revolutionary system incorporating a cap, goggles and suit engineered to work in unison for maximum efficiency in the water.

The concept is called the Speedo Fastskin3 Racing System, approved by FINA (Federation Internationale de Natation) for use in the coming Summer Games. It was launched simultaneously in London, New York, Sydney and Tokyo last December. No other brand will be able to duplicate or approximate Speedo’s technology in time for the Olympics as the deadline to submit designs for FINA clearance has passed.

Speedo Philippines vice president for operations Manish Mahtani called the Fastskin3 technology “ground-breaking” and said Filipino swimmers competing in London will enjoy the “unrivalled” benefits of a full body passive drag reduction of 16.6 percent, an 11 percent improvement in oxygen economy to swim stronger and longer and a 5.2 percent cut in body active drag. Speedo has signed an agreement with the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) to provide the Filipino swimmers bound for London with the Fastskin3 system.

To introduce Fastskin3 to the local market, Speedo Philippines staged a 30-minute show at the outdoor activity center on Bonifacio High Street recently. Director Jackie Aquino did an incredible job of creating an Olympic stadium atmosphere with a grandstand type of seating and a 12 foot by 48 foot panoramic background screen for five projectors working in tandem. As the models walked up and down the ramp, the screen showed water waves that mesmerized the audience.

Mahtani organized the event which also showcased Speedo’s spring and summer 2012 collection. Among those who attended the evening affair were POC president Jose Cojuangco, Jr., Philippine Swimming Inc. president and POC deputy secretary-general Mark Joseph, Triathlon Association of the Philippines president Tom Carrasco, Sen. Pia Cayetano, Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano, Speedo International Ltd. vice president for international business development Michael O’Donnell, Business Development director Barry Halpenny, Business Development manager Harry Singh, Pentland Group (parent company of Speedo International Ltd.) head of corporate security Mike Ball, prominent swimming coaches Anthony and Angelo Lozada, Brent coach Monching Reloj, ABS-CBN Publishing president Ernie Lopez, Dennis Valdes, fashion icon and Squash Rackets Association of the Philippines director Tweetie de Leon-Gonzalez, broadcaster Anthony Suntay, Bodyworx’ Wilson and Kathy Lim Uy and former PBA cager Joey Guanio.

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Aside from the 12 female and 12 male models, Mahtani mobilized eight national swimmers who were equipped with the Fastskin3 Super Elite Racing System. They were UP’s Ken Uy (UAAP 50-meter freestyle record holder, ASEAN University Games 50-meter freestyle record holder, Southeast Asian Games bronze medalist), UP’s Charlie Walker (Philippine 100-meter freestyle record holder, Southeast Asian Games bronze medalist), La Salle’s Johansen Aguilar (Philippine 50-meter backstroke record holder, UAAP 2011 men’s MVP, UAAP five-event record holder), Dhill Anderson Lee (Arafura Games 200-meter butterfly record holder, Southeast Asian Games bronze medalist), St. Paul Pasig’s Cara Guanio (WNCAA 200-meter breaststroke record holder), Ateneo’s Kim Uy (UAAP 2011 women’s Rookie of the Year, UAAP 400-meter freestyle record holder), Ateneo’s Celina Gonzales (UAAP 2011 women’s MVP, UAAP three-event record holder) and Ateneo’s Jasmine Ong (UAAP 50-meter freestyle record holder).

Mahtani, a Grade A squash player, said Speedo’s growth has been phenomenal on a world-wide basis. In the Philippines, Speedo has kept in pace, opening its 20th stand-alone store at the Lucky China Mall in Binondo late this month. With Mahtani’s father Chandru at the helm, Speedo Philippines has expanded its business coverage to India and Malaysia.

“My parents Chandru and Babs started the business way back in 1989 in partnership with my mother’s brothers Nari, Ramesh and Sunder Genomal who are also Speedo Philippines directors,” related Mahtani. “When they started out, our key accounts were SM, Robinson’s, Toby’s Sports, the Gaisano group and Duty Free Philippines. My father’s vision was to establish shop-in-shops in all major department stores and the first one to take birth was appropriately the ‘Landmark’ in Makati. Since then, the company has embarked on an expansion program to open stand-alone stores nationwide, taking full advantage of the retail infrastructure in the country.”

Mahtani said Speedo focuses on four main consumer categories which are “Play and Fun” (beach lifestyle and fashion), “Health and Well-Being” “Swim Fitness” and “Competition.” He added, “We work in partnership with the Bert Lozada Swim School to help develop swimming at the grassroots level, they run their swimming programs in 43 pools nationwide and are the leading learn-to-swim specialists in the Philippines.”

At the NCAA and UAAP level, Mahtani said Speedo is a major backer. “We support 90 percent of the colleges and universities including La Salle Greenhills, St. Benilde, UP, De La Salle University, Ateneo and the University of the East,” he said. “We also have an aggressive event sponsorship program supporting Philippine Swimming Inc.’s G-League, a development program in both the long and short course formats. The five legs of the G-League are entitled the ‘Speedo G-League Swim Series.’”

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Mahtani said Speedo’s reliability is enhanced by its endorsers including Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Peter Vanderkaay and Natalie Coughlin of the US, Leisel Jones, Libby Trickett and Bronte Barratt of Australia, James Magnussen of Austria, Rebecca Adlington and Liam Tancock of the UK, Tae Hwan Park of South Korea, Marleen Veldhuis of Holland, Ryan Cochrane and Brent Hayden of Canada, Filippo Magnini of Italy and Fabian Gilot of France.

“Speedo has been at the forefront of technological development working with athletes, coaches and sports technicians over the decades since its inception in 1928 in Sydney,” said Mahtani. “The ownership remains committed to invest in research and development at its Aqualab facility. Having consistently leveraged on technological innovations to produce the world’s fastest suits over the years, the iconic brand has yet again demonstrated its leadership in the industry with the launch of the Fastskin3 system.”

Phelps has commented that Fastskin3 “makes me feel completely at one with the water, I feel confident, I feel comfortable, I feel like I’m wearing the fastest.” Lochte said with Fastskin3, “I feel like an action hero, ready to take on the world.” What makes Fastski3 more remarkable is its anatomical marking system which indicates how to align the system accurately on the body to achieve optimum fit for maximum comfort while minimizing resistance and drag. The cap and goggles are vital elements in the system but the suit is particularly impressive, using a fabric that sculpts the body reducing skin friction by up to 2.7 percent and a constant seam framework that improves stroke and effectivity on starts and turns by up to three percent. Speedo also worked with sports psychologists from Loughborough University in England in developing confidence-inspiring design with practical elements like a blue-grey tint on the goggle lens to exemplify calm and focus.

As for the spring and summer collection, Speedo Philippines marketing communications officer Edelyn Yanilla said the key focus is on the color themes of ‘light’ and ‘identity’ which echo the fluidity of water and the free and unrestricted movement provided by the swimwear. The palette features a total of 44 colors.