EXPLAINER: The tech behind Tokyo Olympics' fast track
TOKYO (AP) — The Jamaican sprinter and her Olympic-record time captured everyone's attention. What's under foot, though, might have been a factor when Elaine Thompson-Herah broke a 33-year-old Olympic record in the women's 100 meters.
It's shaping up as a fast track surface at Olympic Stadium. Runners are certainly on track to setting personal, Olympic and possibly even world-record times over the next week at the Tokyo Games.
The brick-red track is made by Mondo, a company that's been around since 1948 and has been the supplier for 12 Olympic Games. This particular surface, according to the company, features “three-dimensional rubber granules specifically designed with a selected polymeric system that are integrated in the top layer of MONDOTRACK WS that are added to the semi-vulcanized compound. The vulcanization process guarantees the molecular bond between the granules and the surrounding matter, creating a compact layer."
Translation: It's speedy.
“Feels like I’m walking on clouds,” U.S. 100-meter sprinter Ronnie Baker explained of the surface. “It’s really smooth out there. It’s a beautiful track. One of the nicest I’ve run on.”
IS IT REALLY THAT FAST?
Maybe. Sometimes, it's just fast runners in tip-top shape who make it look fast. Only time will really tell. The track also has been baking in the Tokyo sun with little use, making it extra firm.
“Oh, it’s fast,” American 800-meter runner Clayton Murphy said. “Might take world records to win.”
WHEN WAS THE TRACK INSTALLED?
The track went in over four months, from August to November 2019. It hasn’t seen much action since the surface was put in. The athletes are breaking it in with style.
“You just feel it, man, you just feel it,” South African sprinter Akani...