In the world of what’s hot and what’s not, scientists will probably always be overlooked in favour of sports stars. But in many cases, the extraordinary achievements of talented sportspeople would not have been quite so extraordinary without the help of sports scientists.
Through complex and varied research involving scientists from a dizzying array of scientific fields (from nutrition to psychology to engineering) sports scientists are allowing athletes to move faster, throw themselves higher and even become stronger.
As the human race begins to approach the limits of its physical capabilities, it’s sports scientists that are giving athletes ‘the edge’, allowing them to beat their competition by an ever decreasing margin.
SECOND SKIN
For elite swimmers the difference between Olympic gold or silver has narrowed to only a fraction of a second.
At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, many athletes slipped into a new skin in an attempt to beat their competition.
That new skin was Speedo’s Fastskin – a bodysuit designed to allow swimmers to slip through the water faster than ever before.
But just months before the Athens Olympic games, Fastskin was blown out of the water by its sequel, Fastskin FSII.
Speedo has been working in secret for the last four years with a number of scientists from a range of disciplines to produce the new speedy suit.
In a bizarre fusion of art, science and sport, Speedo employed technology used to produce special effects for Hollywood blockbuster movies such as The Matrix to help develop the suit.
Several companies worked together with Speedo to produce a complex computer-generated swimmer that could be accurately studied as it moved through an environment of virtual water.
Similar computer simulations have been used in recent years to model, design and test champion Formula One cars as well as the hulls and sails of the last three yachts to win the America’s Cup.
WHAT A DRAG
Fastskin FSII’s principal purpose (like the original Fastskin) is to reduce drag. Drag is caused by collisions between water and a swimmer’s body. Something that slows a swimmer down.
In the past, swimmers have sometimes shaved their head and body in an attempt to reduce this effect. Fastskin FSII consists of two high-tech components that do an even better job than a razor and a tub of shaving cream.
The first component is simply called Fastskin. This part of the suit mimics the rough, scaled surface of a shark’s skin, reducing drag in important parts of a swimmers body.
Fastskin also compresses a person’s body, stopping skin and muscle vibration, saving energy and further reducing drag at high speeds.
The second component is called Flexskin. The smooth surface of this suit component enables freer motion and reduces drag at slower speeds.
A number of variations of this suit exist, with some being designed specifically for men, and others for women. They are even designed with certain strokes in mind. For example, the backstroke suit has a zip in the front – a design feature that further reduces drag.
Speedo claims that the suits allow swimmers to reduce drag on their bodies by more than four per cent. And that could be the difference between a medal or no medal.
At the Athens Olympics, American Michael Phelps, Ian Thorpe’s chief rival, will be wearing the Speedo suit. Thorpe is contracted to wear an Adidas suit.
DID YOU KNOW?
Faster, higher and stronger are not always better! In the mid-1980’s javelins reached a stage in their development where they could be thrown the full length of a stadium.
It was decided that the javelin should be redesigned to under perform (by shifting its centre of gravity) so as to protect the lives of spectators!
