Jackson: Suits never bothered me and new ones won't either

By Ryan Bangs, Sportsbeat

JO Jackson believes controversial polyurethane suits have had little to no effect on her performances this year and insists neither will the decision to outlaw them in 2010.

IRRELEVANT: Jo Jackson insists the suits did not affect her when they were legal and will not when they are outlawed (SWpix.com)

The 23-year-old claimed 400m and 800m freestyle silver as well as 4x200m freestyle relay bronze at this summer's Rome World Championships wearing a soon-to-be banned Adidas Hydrofoil suit.

The suits contributed to 43 world records falling in Italy, with the grand total since Speedo first introduced the Fastskin LZR Racer in February 2008 well over 250.

Such landmarks at the Foro Italico prompted immediate action from world governing body FINA.  It led to them ruling that suits should be made of textiles only as of January 1, 2010.

Jackson witnessed firsthand four of those 43 records fall in Rome, three of which set by Italian Federica Pellegrini, who claimed world 200m and 400m freestyle gold ahead her.

The Italian also became the first woman to break the four-minute barrier in the 400m and Jackson believes that feat and her own individual medal haul should be credited to the swimmer and the not the suit.

"There wasn't much difference before the suits and with the suits in the 400m freestyle, to be honest it really hasn't changed our event," said Jackson.

"I can't say for other events but last year in a Speedo I went four minutes, this year in an Adidas I went four minutes.

"About three years ago in a knee suit I went about 4:02 minutes and at the end of the day the athletes still do all the hard training.

"I still did 11 sessions a week.  I didn't just put the suits on and stop training altogether, you still had to do all the hard work.

"I have worn every suit possible and I think it is still the talented swimmers that are winning medals.

"I know with the 400m Rebecca Adlington has been around for a few years, I've been around for a few years as has Pellegrini in whatever suits we have worn."

Jackson was forced to bring the curtain down on her 2009 competitive season early after a bout of flu and sinusitis made her ineligible for the British Gas Duel in the Pool.

The Olympic bronze medallist contracted the illness shortly after returning from a warm-weather training camp in Dubai and had to rest for three weeks.

Jackson has since returned to training and insists her ambitions to win medals at both the European Championships and Commonwealth Games won't be affected by the unexpected lay-off.

"I am fine now but I had to take medication because I kept having asthma attacks and, as a result, I couldn't compete for a month," she added.

"But I am getting back to fitness and full training now and luckily it is this side of Christmas and not in the New Year because that would have been much worse.

" I can definitely pull those three weeks back.  I have still got three months of hard training before the Commonwealth trials and I am just looking forward to getting back into training."

 * British Gas and British Swimming. The nation's leading energy supplier, British Gas, is the Principal Partner of British Swimming, supporting the sport at all levels: 'From paddling pool to podium'. For more information visit www.britishgas.co.uk/swimming