Men's swimming costumes have evolved considerably over the last 20 years.
In the 1970s, you would only ever see elite swimmers wearing trunks.
Nowadays, the top swimmers realise that the right suit can be the difference between breaking a world record and collecting a bronze medal.
The two main areas which have changed are the materials and the size.
The materials have gone from a heavy wool to man-made materials which glide smoothly through the water.
But the size is the significant change.
Some swimmers now wear a full body suit, which covers everything from your shoulders to your ankles.
They believe it allows them to hold a better core body position in the water and helps them to travel further after the turns.
There are traditionalists who have remained faithful to the trunks.
They say that if there are any creases in the body suits it can slow down your time significantly.
But, for your average swimmer, the suit makes very little difference to anything apart from your bank balance.
MMIX
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