Sports technology

[Flatlander]

Originally Posted by davieddy

Beats (his own) 100m record by 0.03s while showboating.
...

An estimate of how fast Bolt could have run the 100m:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/...mg19926734.600

[MooooMoo]

Originally Posted by retina

With all the suspicion about "doping" and chemically enhanced performances, are there ordinary everyday foods/potions/substances that an athlete can take (either deliberately or unknowingly) that enhance performance?

Originally Posted by MooooMoo

...one really good way to increase performance would be to sleep in an altitude tent. That's a device that pumps oxygen-deficient air into an enclosed space to simulate living at an altitude of up to 10,000 feet (3000 meters). Your body adjusts to the lack of oxygen by producing more red blood cells, which improves endurance. Anedoctal evidence suggests a 5-10% improvement in cycling power:

Update: I got a chance to try out one of those altitude systems. My mile (1609 meters) time last December was 5:19, which is approximately equivalent to a 2:20 800 meter performance. I used the altitude tent a few days later, and by the end of January, my 800 time was down to 2:12.

My training throughout the past few months was basically the same, so I can tell that those improvements were a result of using the tent. However, my training was nowhere near optimal - I only ran half an hour 3-4 days a week, followed by some quick sprints once in a while. World class athletes probably won't see such a great difference in times since they have much less room for improvement.

edit: (mostly for my reference)
December race results - http://www.dyestatcal.com/?pg=dyesta...LAC-All-Comers
January race results - http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/...omersjan31.pdf

[cheesehead]

"Cycling Enters Electronic Age With Gear-Shifting System"

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/14/sp...g/14gears.html

Apparently they've improved the rain-proofing, but ...

Bob Stapleton, the owner and general manager of Columbia, said many of his riders had doubts about using bicycles that could literally run out of power.

There's a tie-in with the Eveready Energizer Bunny to be had somewhere.

[davieddy]

Originally Posted by ewmayer

I had my doubts about that after I watched him run a 9.92 in prelims at what looked like a jogging pace - but after watching the final I believe we officially have a new humanoid species which I shall provisionally dub Homo Celeris Boltensis.

Seriously, I think the lad is capable of a 9.50 in the 100m - he probably cost himself a full 0.10 in the Olympic final by slowing up at the end. Can't wait to see what he does in the 200, because that longer distance should be even better-suited to his lanky build. I didn't think Michael Johnson's Atlanta-Olympics WR in the 200 would be broken in my lifetime, but given that the 200 WR time is historically a tad faster than 2x the 100 WR time, a 9.50 lifetime best in the 100 would point to a sub-19.00 time in the 200. Shocking numbers, to be sure.

Now, where can I buy some of those bananas?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/default.stm

150m "Fun" race on a rainy day, improvized (albeit straight) track.
14.35s sounds extraordinary (interpolating his 100 and 200 records).

When interviewed he declared himself not on top form!

[davieddy]

Originally Posted by davieddy

At what point does a full-body swimsuit become
more aptly described as a boat?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/othe...ng/8161867.stm

[cheesehead]

Originally Posted by davieddy

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/othe...ng/8161867.stm

Scott also backed the idea of putting an asterisk by world records that were achieved in polyurethane suits to distinguish them from records before and after their introduction.

Hear, hear!

[MooooMoo]

PS is Usain Bolt human?

Not sure about that, he just ran under 9.6 today. Wow.

[Andi_HB]

Here a HQ Youtubevideo from the new WR (9.58)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqlHEwmyPXw

[davieddy]

Originally Posted by MooooMoo

Not sure about that, he just ran under 9.6 today. Wow.

Now if we could persuade him to mate with Jessica Ennis....

This girl(?) was one of my childhood(?) favourites:
http://www.times-olympics.co.uk/hist...oes/kende.html

[ewmayer]

Yeah, last night's 9.58 was stunning ... alas here in the Overpriced-sugarwater-and-sneaker-adverts-masquerading-as-Xtreme-Sports-obsessed USA, we only see track and field these days on paid-subscription cable channels, so I first read about it in this morning's paper.

Let's just hope it was a legitimate performance...

Did enjoy watching the last 9 holes of yesterday's PGA Championship yesterday, though ... nice to see the underdog "gol-dern furriner" (Yang) win it in fine fashion, he was just so happy. I was afraid there toward the end that the pressure would get to him like it does to most of Woods' opponents who find themselves in a position to win with only a few holes left, but it was exactly the opposite, Woods was the one who seemed to wilt a bit.

[Uncwilly]

Originally Posted by ewmayer

Sports-obsessed USA, we only see track and field these days on paid-subscription cable channels, so I first read about it in this morning's paper.

NBC has a free over-the-air Universal Sports DTV channel. They show show much of the Tour de France, the Italian Giro, and many gymnastic and track meets. The ski jump, X-country skiing, and other winter sports coverage was a nice fix for those that miss their smack between the Olypmic years.

The Pre generally gets network coverage.