How To Care For Your Swimming Race Suit: FINIS Rival 2.0

If you’ve been following the FINA Swimming World Championships 2019 in Gwangju, you will have witnessed team FINIS and USA athlete Olivia Smoliga culminate her brilliant performances with a gold medal in the 50m backstroke. During the final, Olivia was wearing the FINIS Rival 2.0 racing suit in white as she contested a highly competitive sub-28 second field.

If you already own a FINIS Rival 2.0 racing suit – or you’ve been inspired to follow in the footsteps of Smoliga, here we share the tips and tricks of how to care for your latest FINIS race suit. Following these steps could lead to extending the swimming lifespan of your race suit for as many competitions as possible!

1. Rinse

First things first. After swimming, make sure that you give your Rival 2.0 race suit a good rinse in cool and chlorine-free water. It’s best to do this immediately once you’re done in the pool, which will aid the later care steps.

2. Showering

Don’t do it… Don’t even think about it! Make sure you avoid wearing your race suit in the shower at all. It’s likely that the contact and chemicals from soaps, shampoos and conditioners will damage the fabric and the bonding of your new race suit.

 3. Drying

Good things come to those who wait, and that’s the same when drying your Rival 2.0 race suit before swimming in it again. Let your suit dry naturally without trying to rush the process by using a hair dryer or radiator.

 4. Storage

The suit will look after you during your swim, so make sure you look after the suit outside of the pool. No swimsuit likes being crumpled at the bottom of a swim bag, so store the Rival 2.0 in a cool and dry place.

 5. Wear & Tear

We know you’re going to love your FINIS race suit and will want to wear it for every swim! Bear in mind that the race suit fabric will wear out with the frequent stress of putting it on and off. Consider saving your Rival 2.0 for the most important events?

 6. Care Label

You’ll find more great instructions on how to care for your suit in the care label included. Don’t forget to check this label when you get your new suit – only a crazy person would think about cutting it out – you’ll need it!  

You can learn even more about the FINIS Rival 2.0 race suit in this feature video including Olivia Smoliga and Co-founder John Mix: