Just when it was thought that swimmers could not get any faster, two costume manufacturers have produced suits that are threatening to tear up the record books.

Four world records had fallen in the Nasa-developed Speedo LZR Racer before the launch yesterday of the rival R-Evolution Powerskin from Arena and the good news for Great Britain is that they have feet in both camps. Liam Tancock for Speedo and Arena-wearing Kirsty Balfour, two of the biggest medal hopes for Britain in the Olympics this summer, were among the guinea pigs who helped to develop rival garments that both lay claim to being the “fastest suits in history”. They will get to test their new apparel for the first time over the next seven days at the European Championships in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

Tancock goes first today in the heats and semi-finals of the 100 metres backstroke and while not fully rested from training, the world No 3 backstroke specialist aims to return home for a full rest before the Olympic trials in Sheffield next month with at least a medal, if not gold, that proves he is on track to challenge for a place on the podium in Beijing.

Tancock has reason to be cheerful. On Thursday evening during training, Ben Titley, his coach, urged him to take a speed test in his new suit for the first time. Behind locked doors, he shattered a British medley record. Elizabeth Simmonds, 16, a temporary training partner, gave a national backstroke record a close shave.

In the United States, Hayley McGregory, Natalie Coughlin and Kirsty Coventry, the US-based Zimbabwean, have set world backstroke records this year, while Eamon Sullivan, of Australia, eclipsed Alexander Popov’s 50 metres freestyle mark last month.

While pleased with the results, Titley said: “We were just looking for easy speed and they swam really well. But there’ll be other suits. Everything will move on in other worlds. It will come down to the swimmer in the suit, not the suit on the swimmer.”

Whether the claims of the suitmakers are tall or not (Arena, for example, says that half a second can be wiped off 50-metre standards), the fact is that every competitor will be wearing one new suit or another at a championships in Eindhoven, made more demanding by the presence of swimmers from several nations using the event as their Olympic trials.

The diving events feature Tom Daley, the 13-year-old Briton who has booked his place in Beijing and is competing at his first full senior international championships in the first year of age eligibility.

While Eindhoven has attracted some who will be in the form of their lives, the leading swimmers from Germany, the Continent’s most successful nation, have all but shunned the event. Of the country’s nine swimmers at the tournament, none is among its stars, which drew Orjan Madsen, Germany’s performance director, to say: “They need to stand up and be counted.” The France camp also suffered a setback when Claude Fauquet, the technical director, barred the squad based in Canet, southern France, with Philippe Lucas, the coach and a former mentor of Laure Manaudou, the 400 metres freestyle Olympic and world champion, from representing the country at the championships because they failed to attend a three-day national team camp last month.

The Canet-based team, including Esther Baron, the 2006 champion over 200 metres backstroke, had already arrived in the Netherlands, but will travel home tomorrow.

Three to watch

Kirsty Balfour: The 24-year-old is not fully rested from training, but the Scot will want to defend her 200 metres backstroke crown.

David Davies: Welshman faces the duo who beat him at the 2007 World Championships, Mateusz Sawrymowicz, of Poland, and Yuri Prilukov, of Russia.

Tom Daley: This will be the 13-year-old diver’s first senior international championships.

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