The Medalist: Made for Workout Warriors
Designed to perform from the beach to sea and back again. Work it.
THE MEDALIST
The Victorian swimwear which predates the 1900s might as well be from Mars. They were long, heavy gowns, designed to cover as much as possible. Even the fabric was made to pull away in the water to obscure the wearer’s frame. They unfortunately reflected the morals of the time. Hardly fabulous.
It wasn’t until swimming became an elite level sport that the design started to take on what we recognise today. The suits needed to be faster, tighter and sleeker, and it was Speedo who understood the assignment, introducing nylon and spandex into their designs in the late 1930s.
But it wasn’t simple. In 1932, at just 16 years old, Clare Denis was nearly disqualified for wearing a Speedo suit deemed to show too much skin. The dropped shoulder and tighter fit of the Racerback as it was known then, would become a precursor to our classic Medalist shape. Then, however it was heavily protested. The claim was later thrown out and three days later, she’d won gold in the 200m Breaststroke. Pretty iconic from the get-go if you ask us.
It wasn’t until 1957 that the shape evolved further. A nylon costume was developed for Australian trailblazer’s, Lorraine Crapp and Dawn Fraser. Fraser in particular was an elite swimmer with a ferocious attitude and a tendency to disrupt the natural order. A bit like the famous suit, itself.
There’d be a bit of a wait, but what came next would become our best-selling suit ever. The Medalist. In 2002, its high cut shape gave you more room to move, which meant more power to move through the water, and the circular cut-out at the back mirrored, you guessed it, a medal.
Speedo classics don’t go out of style especially when they’re made to perform. The Medalist features Endurance+ fabric, engineered to be 100% chlorine-resistant, dry quickly, and retain its shape swim after swim. With superior fade and snag resistance, it’s designed to perform from pool to sea and back again. Go full Speedo.
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