Four years ago, the Olympic Swim Trials in Omaha began with a showdown. The world's two best swimmers dueled in arguably the world's most grueling race.

Buoyed by a frenzied crowd, Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte splashed and dashed to the wall.

Sound familiar?

The 2012 Trials started with the same two stars battling in the same race, the 400 meter individual medley. They were separated by the exact same margin - 0.83 seconds. But something Monday night was different - aside from Lochte winning.

In 2008, both times beat the world record. In 2012, neither came close; the winning time was almost two seconds slower.

One big reason: Look at their uniforms.

Gone are the superhero-style rubber body suits that took swimming by storm in 2008.

The 2012 suits are still high-tech - you won't find them at the local sporting goods store. But most athletes and coaches say they have restored legitimacy to the record books.