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Nike is Swift to Adapt Fast FabricsPerformance enhancing drugs might be a strict Olympic no! But there are no limits on performance enhancing fabrics.
Nike is busting out the Swift suit, a hooded unitard which promises to maximize an athlete's potential by regulating heat and reducing drag.
"The Swift suit is engineered in the truest sense of the word," says Alastair McColl. Nike Canada's general merchandise manager for apparel was showing off the high-tech togs at a press event last week at Nike Toronto on Bloor St. W.
The Swift Suit was introduced at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney by Australian runner Cathy Freeman, who glided to a gold in the 400-metre event.
Nike researchers have spent thousands of hours since perfecting the garment which is adapted for rowing, cycling and track and field.
Most notably, wind tunnel tests revealed that, "different parts of the body accelerate at different rates," McColl says. "That was a surprise. It had always been assumed that all parts of the body accelerate at the same speed."
With that in mind, the unitard is zoned with six different fabrics strategically placed to allow minimum resistance and maximum efficiency.
Seaming is located in the back of the suit for aerodynamics, although rowers, who sit backwards, have suits seamed in the front. Nike researchers estimate the Swift suit could allow
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August 6, 2004 | Viewed 20,811 time(s)
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