Speedo must have been feeling a mix of emotions yesterday as poster boy Michael Phelps threw his Speed Socket Mirrored Pro goggles against the pool wall in disgust after a “slight malfunction.” Phelps said that water was flooding his eyes from the very start of the race, which left his vision slightly impaired.
By the final meter of the race he confessed that he could barely see the pool wall.
Even with the discomfort, Phelps was still able to finish first, and in record time. I guess Phelps really is capable of beating the competition with his eyes closed.
This probably wasn’t the reaction Speedo was hoping for after their star had just broken the world record and became the athlete with the most career Olympic gold medals in history.
With the exception of this one small blow, Speedo brand is dominating the swimming section of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Ever since the release of their innovative LZR suit (featured in April’s BusinessWeek) in February, Speedo has been making headlines. Before the Olympics 48 of 52 world records have been broken by swimmers wearing the suit. Nike even sent out a letter to its swimmers letting them know that wearing the Speedo brand during the Olympics would not jeopardize their contract.
At this point it’s not certain how many medals have been racked up by swimmers wearing the LZR, but one things for sure, Speedo is clearly the most dominant brand in swimming right now.
Photo via: Associated Press
I don’t think the performance mishap will ruin their brand much. It happens to all swimmers, and the only real way to prevent it is to superglue goggles to your face. (Which is probably not recommended!)
If they get mad at it, then they’re definitely overreacting! Could have been any one of the brands – that’s why everyone wears their goggles so tight and under their cap, cause it happens a lot.