Never-Ending Tech Race

In the heat of performance, though, it can be difficult to give the mind sufficient distance to understand what the body may be doing incorrectly. That's where a new generation of video software technology can make a vital difference. When Tara Kirk, a swimmer at Stanford University and Olympic-medal hopeful, was competing in races in 2003, she thought she was keeping her body straight in the water as she swam. Then she had a chance to look at herself on a laptop screen. Using a software program called Dartswim, her coach superimposed a picture of Kirk's technique from 2002 on an image of her current form. The message was clearer than a chlorinated pool: despite some improvement, she still arched her body during the strokes, adding seconds to her time. "You can't go with what you feel," says her college coach, Richard Quick. "Tara felt like she was doing the stroke properly, but Dartswim pointed out the flaws. Once she saw them, she began to improve." That was in January. Two months later, at the U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association championships, Kirk placed first in the 100-m breaststroke. And she set a world record.

Switzerland-based Dartfish is perhaps the world's most successful Olympic-tech company, with training software, including Dartswim, that's used by athletes in more than 20 countries, including Germany, South Korea and Thailand. In the U.S., some two dozen Olympic sports use Dartfish. The technology helped athletes worldwide win 45 medals in the 2002 Winter Games, according to Victor Bergonzoli, general manager of the company's U.S. unit. "Once we used to repeat and explain the same thing over and over again," says Yeom Dong Chul, coach of South Korea's weight-lifting team, which has been using Dartfish in the run-up to the Olympics. "Now there is no need for us to talk so much, since it's all viewable on the screen."

Using video analysis to find faults is sometimes only half the battle. Fixing problems is far harder, as Canadian butterfly specialist Mike Mintenko found in Sydney in 2000 after he missed an Olympic medal by a fingernail, finishing fifth in the 100-m final. After analyzing the race, his coach concluded that Mintenko blew it—literally—at the 75-m mark. The analysis showed that Mintenko's shallow breathing after the 50-m turn didn't allow him to maintain enough oxygen to keep his muscles from tiring. In February Mintenko tried out a device, made by Houston-based PowerLung, that looks like a glorified asthma inhaler. It forces the user to work harder to pull air in and push it out. After using the PowerLung for a week, Mintenko began to see an improvement in his oxygen capacity.

Nothing, though, has created a bigger splash in swimming circles than the slippery new bodysuits being prepared for the Athens Olympics, particularly the Fastskin suit unveiled in March. Designed by Speedo and Japan's Mizuno, the drag-reducing Fastskin makes it appear as if a swimmer has been dipped in a glossy, water-resistant paint. Olympians who plan to wear one include Japanese swimming sensation Kosuke Kitajima, who has set world records in the 100- and 200-m breaststroke. Speedo claims the $250 suit reduces drag by at least 4% compared with the original Fastskin design released in 2000. Not to be outdone, the company's main competitor, Tyr, has developed its own "world's fastest swimsuit." Tyr says its Aqua Shift attire reduces drag by at least 10% compared with normal suits.

But no matter how ingenious the gear or the gadget, technology has its limits. What makes an Olympian a winner depends mainly upon muscle strength, stamina, skill and desire. Still, with history being made by the millisecond in Athens, athletes can use all the technological help—and all the extra red blood cells—they can get.