And there it was: 12 women in the LZR Racer, all three 4x200m freestyle quartets from the Netherlands, Britain and Australia, in that order, more than SEVEN SECONDS inside the world record.

The standard had stood at 7:46.30 to China since 2002. It now stands to the Dutch at 7:38.90, with Britain on 7:38.96 and Australia on 7:39.01. Even the USA team, distant as they were in fourth, raced inside previous record time, at 7:45.58.

If anyone was in any doubt about the properties of the Speedo suit, let them now revise their opinion. The sport has never seen the like. The biggest margin of gain seen in the 4x200m world record had been tighter than 2 seconds.

Here's how history panned out:

NED: 7:38.90 World Record (by 7.40sec - and Dutch best was by AZPC Amersfoort 8:07.16 from 1992 - now that's what I call blowing a record apart. It's kind of nuclear...)
Inge Dekker 1:55.36
Femke Heemskerk 1:53.44
Marleen Veldhuis 1:54.17
Ranomi Kromowidjojo 1:55.93
GBR: 7:38.96 European and Commonwealth Record (8.18sec inside GBR record)
Joanne Jackson 1:54.78
Melanie Marshall 1:55.83
Caitlin McClatchey 1:54.64
Rebecca Adlington 1:53.71
AUS: 7:39.01 National record (by 7.95sec)
Bronte Barratt 1:57.30
Angie Bainbridge 1:53.88
Kelly Stubbins 1:55.29
Kylie Palmer 1:52.54

That last split is the fastest ever, and first inside 1:53. The quickest before had been a 1:53.78 to Libby Lenton (now Trickett), from 2006.