TEMPE, Ariz. - Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, unveiled the new swimsuit and gear he hopes will help him win even more gold medals in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Phelps partnered with the company Aqua Sphere two years ago to design the suit. Together, they launched it Monday in Tempe, next to the Arizona State University Mona Plummer Aquatic Complex, where Phelps trains with longtime coach Bob Bowman.
The new racing kit is comprised of the EXPRESSO racing suit, XCEED performance goggle and X-O race cap.
The racing suit is both fast and tight, something that's not often found in racing suits.
"We've been looking for something better and bigger in terms of technical swimming suits," said Bowman.
Sometimes I feel like I'm a penguin, waddling," Phelps said. "Some are too tight."
But that's not the case with Phelps' new suit.
"There's no restrictive part and that's what makes this suit different," he said.
Bowman has also been involved in the design process.
"I was amazed by the goggles," Bowman also said. "I was amazed by two things -- how comfortable they were and how clearly I could see everything."
Phelps tested the new suits last summer and recorded some of his fastest times ever.
Aqua Sphere has been in the swimming business for a few decades. It's mostly focused on comfortable swim gear. This is the first time Aqua Sphere has made competitive gear.
Michael Phelps has not publicly announced what races he hopes to compete in in Rio. He has already won a record 18 gold medals, and by all accounts, could win at least a few more this summer.
Phelps is now off to Colorado for six weeks of high-altitude training and then will compete in the U.S. Olympic Team trials at the end of June in Omaha, Nebraska.