IN-BOX; Slicker, Faster, Better?
Published: August 17, 2008
To the Sports Editor:
Re ''As Records Fall, Technology Muddies the Water,'' Aug. 11: As a former collegiate sprinter, I know that there have always been arguments about fast and slow pools, the advantage of body shaving before a race and changes in swimsuit technology. These things provide a minor technical benefit, but a major benefit to the brain by providing sensations that make one feel slicker and faster in the water.
Jason Lezak's extraordinary final 50 meters in the 4x100 freestyle relay is a great example of why the Olympics continue to hold our imagination. Over the last 24 seconds, he proved how the mind and spirit, not technology, can free the body to accomplish superhuman feats.
Michael G. Kaplitt, M.D.