Companies' gear gives athletes an edge

By Maribel Villalva

El Paso Times

The athletic attire that will be worn during the 2004 Summer Olympics has come a long way from the ancient days of the games when athletes competed wearing only olive oil.

Now, companies develop products designed to cut milliseconds off a runner's time or reduce a swimmer's drag.

Adidas' ClimaCool line of apparel and footwear is constructed to keep athletes cool through precisely placed ventilation, allowing sweat to evaporate quickly.

``One of the key things for an athlete is to maintain core body temperature,'' Christian DiBenedetto of Adidas said. ``As you exercise and create energy, you're also creating heat. If that heat is not dissipated, it will raise your core body temperature and efficiency goes down.

``The garment doesn't sit flat on your skin,'' DiBenedetto said. ``There's a layer of space in between where water (sweat) will evaporate. You end up with an environment that's cooler inside the garment than it is outside.''

Olympic athletes such as basketball player Tim Duncan and U.S. marathoner Alan Culpepper will wear Adidas shoes with the ClimaCool technology, DiBenedetto said.

The shoes also feature open mesh and ventilation. But what Adidas officials say makes these shoes stand out from the competition is the heat-reflecting film inserts on the soles that prevent the heat from penetrating into the shoe. DiBenedetto said in an event, such as certain track and field competitions, a shoe might give a runner an edge.

``When you're talking about events where athletes (are separated by) hundredths of a second, a shoe could make the difference between silver and gold.''

Nike's Swift line includes the Swift Swim suit for swimmers, the Swift Spin for cyclists, the Swift Suit for speedskaters and the MonsterFly spike shoe for runners.

Todd Lewis, Nike's product line manager for track and field footwear, said MonsterFly is designed to reposition sprinters when their feet drop because of fatigue. The shoe is equipped with a full-length column in the back of the shoe that's made with durable rubber compounds. It sits underneath the heel.

``When the runner becomes fatigued and the heal drops, this plate repositions the foot to propel the runner forward,'' Lewis said. ``If they start to drop down, it pops them back up. It produces the maximum amount of propulsion.''

Athletes who have been wearing the MonsterFly in competition this year included U.S. Olympic team members Shawn Crawford and Justin Gatlin.

Choosing a swimsuit comes down to reputation for 2000 Olympic gold medalist Tom Malchow. He will wear Speedo's Fastskin II (FSII) when he competes in the 200-meter butterfly at the Athens games.

``You want to be in a product that you're comfortable in and you want to be confident that the seams aren't going to come apart or the zipper will break,'' Malchow said. ``You just have one shot to win the gold medal, so you want a product that is reliable.'' Malchow appreciates the technology behind the products he uses, but said the technology won't make miracles happen in the water.

``I've always believed that the suit is going to help only to the point that the athlete is ready to perform,'' Malchow said. ``The suit won't turn the average swimmer into the next Olympian. But at the Olympics, if a suit can save you that fraction of a second in the end, it could make the difference between gold and silver.''