Everyone’s attention was drawn to the Jamaican sprinter with her Olympic-record time. 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.
Olympic Stadium is looking to make it a fast track. The Tokyo Games are on the right track for runners to set personal, Olympic, and perhaps even world records over the next week.
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. According to Mondo, this particular surface features three-dimensional rubber granules that have been specifically engineered with a select polymeric system and are embedded in the top layer MONDOTRACK WS. These granules are then added to the semi-vulcanized substance. The compacting layer is created by the vulcanization process, which guarantees the molecular bonds between the granules of the surrounding matter.
Translation: It is fast.
Ronnie Baker, a U.S. 100m sprinter, said that it felt like he was walking on clouds. It’s very smooth out there. It’s a lovely track. It’s one of my favorite tracks.
Is it really that fast?
Perhaps. Sometimes it’s only fast runners in top shape who make it look so fast. It will only be time. It has also been baked in the Tokyo sun, which makes it more firm.
Clayton Murphy, an American 800-meter runner, said that “Oh it’s fast.” “It might take world records to win.”
WHEN DID THE TRACK GO INTO PLACE?
The track went in over four months, from August to November 2019. Since the surface was installed, it has not seen much activity. It is being broken in by the athletes with flair
South African sprinter Akani SIMbine stated, “You just feel that, man, it just feels that way.” “You’re familiar with the feeling of fast tracks. This track is fast for us and we are looking forward to running on it.
WHY IS SO BOUNCY SO IMPORTANT?
Mondo says on its website that the main objective was to “maximize the speed of athletes and improve their performance.” The top layer is vulcanized rubber to help with elasticity. The lower layer also has “air-filled cavities”, which aid with shock absorption, energy storage, and immediate kinetic response.
You can also use it to help racers glide down the track.
“Some tracks absorb both your motion and force,” Sydney McLaughlin, American hurdler and world record holder for 400 meters, said. It regenerates it and gives back to you. It is definitely tangible.
So WHAT WORLD RECORDS MAY GO DOWN?
Pay attention to the 400 hurdles for women and men. McLaughlin broke the record by setting the mark at 51.90 seconds on June 27, at the U.S. Olympic Trials. This was a break from Dalilah Muhammad’s previous record of 52.90 seconds. They are the gold-medal favorites and could break the record again Wednesday.
Norway’s Karsten Warholm broke the 400-meter hurdles record for men recently, going 46.70. He broke a record that stood since 1992. He can he break it again.
Warholm muttered, “Maybe somebody else will do it.” “I’ve done what I was supposed to do.”
GOTTA BE THE SHOE, TOO!
These records may also be due to technological advancements in spikes. The Vaporfly shoe from Nike was a revolutionary model in distance running. It featured carbon-plated technology that helped runners cut down on their time by a few minutes. This technology is making its way into sprinters’ spikes.
Thompson-Herah has also a theory about fast times. She ran 10.61 seconds in order to break the Olympic record of Florence Griffith Joyner. She said, “My training.” “It doesn’t matter what the track looks like or how the shoes fit.”
