WHO IT'S FOR
Sanctioned pool racing, where approved swimwear is a condition of the start list. This is the suit for the races you have built a season around, and the only Zone3 kneeskin that will pass a kit check. Everything about it is cut for the two minutes that count rather than the training week around them.
- County, regional and national pool competition
- Championship finals and target races
- Any event that mandates approved swimwear
- Swimmers who want race-legal kit without giving up shoulder freedom
WHERE IT SITS IN THE RANGE
Zone3 makes race swimwear in two lines. Performance Gold uses PaperLite, the lighter fabric, with a Nano coating, and this kneeskin is the approved one. Performance Speed uses Aquaflo and its kneeskin is not approved, so it suits racing and race-pace training where the rules do not require it. If your event checks kit, this is the one.
KEY BENEFITS
1. The one that passes kit check. World Aquatics approved under homologation number ZN220851, listed since 2018, and the only Zone3 kneeskin with that approval.
2. The lightest race layer Zone3 makes. PaperLite is the lightest hydrodynamic fabric in the race swimwear range, cut to a second skin so there is very little of it and none of it loose.
3. Water runs off rather than in. The Nano coating repels water at the surface instead of letting the fabric absorb it, keeping resistance low and the suit light through a full race.
4. Shoulders free through the catch. The open back gives unrestricted movement into the catch and through the recovery, with no fabric pulling across the shoulder blades at full reach.
5. Compression that stays honest. Highly structured fabric applies targeted compression through the body and thighs, aiding muscular activation over repeated maximal efforts and holding its shape across a season.
WHAT YOU'LL FEEL
Light and open at the same time, which is an odd combination the first time. Getting into it takes patience and both hands, working from the ankles up. Once on, the pressure through the body and thighs is firm and even, while the back stays uncovered and cool. The difference shows at full reach, where the arms travel overhead with nothing catching across the shoulder blades and nothing pulling you back down.
