Ian O'Riordanon the battle of gear designers and the flash and fabulous items that have resulted.
EVERY FOUR years the sportswear giants of this world like to brag about their latest Olympic-winning materials. The intention, naturally, is to outdo not only what athletes were wearing four years previously but also the competition - as in the rival brands.
The reality is no athletes have ever won Olympic gold medals because of the weight of their shoes or the style of their swimsuits. At least we hope not. That's not saying a hi-tech outfit won't help them get that little bit faster, higher or stronger. It's more about gaining that psychological edge, and from that point of view, Olympic athletes have never been so spoilt for choice.
Sometimes, these hi-tech outfits are merely fashion statements, or certainly they appear that way. When Australia's Cathy Freeman showed up for her 400-metre final at Sydney modelling a full-length bodysuit, complete with a hood and glove-like hand straps, the entire nation hoped and prayed she would win, not so much for the honour and glory, but to save her the embarrassment of losing in such ridiculous garb.
At those same Olympics, the 17-year-old swimmer Ian Thorpe was given special permission to wear a new Adidas bodysuit, the Jet Concept, which covered him from head to toe. Thorpe had helped to design the bodysuit - despite the fact the Australian federation had just signed a separate contract with Speedo.
It attracted plenty of controversy, not least because "The Thorpedo" required four helpers and 10 minutes just to get in and out of it. But when he ended up winning three gold medals and two silvers, his Adidas bodysuit quickly became the standard for most swimmers.
Eight years on, Speedo have fought back, and their new LZR Racer has so far lived up to its billing as "the world's fastest swimsuit" - and created chaos in the area of sponsorship contracts.
Despite being labelled by the Japanese swimming coach Norimasa Hirai as a "form of doping", the LZR Racer is a must-have for all swimmers in Beijing (see panel).
If the swimsuit has become the most contentious piece of athletic clothing in Olympic history, the running spike has become perhaps the most colourful.
Probably the boldest Olympic fashion statement of all time was made by Michael Johnson, the American sprinter, who showed up for the 200-metre final in Atlanta in 1996 wearing a pair of gold spikes, specially built by Nike. Clearly, Johnson wasn't about to settle for silver or bronze that day, and to make sure he won, he clocked a world record 19.32, which still stands.
Look out for some similar customised colour-patterns in Beijing - at least among those bold enough to wear them.
It used to be that practically every Olympic runner wore more or less the same shoes, or else none at all. Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia famously ran barefoot over the mostly cobbled streets of Rome to win the 1960 Olympic marathon. Some believed this gave him an advantage, and thus several tried to imitate him, but soon realised the painful implications of running barefoot.
Four years later in Tokyo, Bikila showed up wearing a brand-new pair of custom-made Puma runners and long white socks, and won by over four minutes. So, that quickly became the trend.
It is now standard practice for elite marathoners to have runners designed to fit their feet. Even our own John Treacy was wearing a pair of custom-made New Balance during his silver-medal run at the 1984 Olympic marathon in Los Angeles. This helped Treacy secure one of the most lucrative shoe contracts of any Irish athlete, New Balance continuing to sponsor him until his retirement in 1995. (Treacy, by the way, always trained in a rival brand.)
Asics of Japan have been the leader in this field, and for Beijing they have again employed the skills of their master shoemaker Hitoshi Mimura, a 59-year-old former marathoner. Mimura prides himself on using natural materials and champions the gripping properties of rice husks.
The husks, ground and embedded in the rubber soles, are designed to absorb water and increase traction by up to 10 per cent along the 26.2-mile marathon course around Beijing. Shoes made by Mimura have been worn by three recent Olympic marathon champions, including Japan's Mizuki Noguchi, who won gold over the sometimes marbled and wet streets of Athens four years ago. He also made the footwear for Stefano Baldini of Italy, who won the men's race in Athens, and Japan's Naoko Takahashi, who won the women's marathon at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Mimura is something of a legend in Japan, a marathon- mad country. He started working for Asics 41 years ago, as an 18-year-old, gluing together the upper and lower portions of running shoes.
"Samurai cannot fight without their swords," Mimura says. "It is the same for runners and their shoes."
Asics have also produced a special range of spikes for Beijing, including the Cyberflash, their ultra-lightweight 180-gram sprinting shoe. But Adidas have taken spike technology to a new level in designing a shoe, called the Lone Star, for the reigning Olympic 400-metre champion, Jeremy Wariner of the US. Adidas call it the first asymmetrical track spike, designed to conform to the different functions of each foot. Adidas engineers found Wariner used his left, or inside, foot for stability and his right for propulsion. His left foot strikes the ground along the midline, while his right strikes on the outside and rotates inward as he pushes off with his big toe and second toe.
To enhance Wariner's power and traction in the curve, there are plastic claws, or crampons, on the inside front edge of his right shoe. This was partly inspired by race-car design, which entails different suspension systems on left and right sides for handling on bends.
The sole of the shoe is made of carbon nanotubes, which make it 50 percent lighter and two-thirds thinner than the average spike. The spikes themselves have also been redesigned: most spikes are pyramid - or Christmas-tree shaped.
Wariner's have a tiny head and broad shoulders, designed to compress the surface of the track instead of piercing it deeply, thus preventing loss of energy by ripping in and out of the track with each step. Wariner's spikes penetrate the track by two or three millimetres, compared with six or seven with other spikes.
China may be pressing hard to top the medal table in Beijing, but no will outdo the US on the track, and therefore the most familiar uniform will be Team USA - who have one of the longest-running sponsorships by Nike. The Beijing strip features Nike's "Aerographic" design and "We the People" graphic. With seven per cent less drag than the Athens version four years ago, the Nike Swift sprint suit is said to bring a benefit of about .02 of a second over 100 metres.
Socks, gloves and arm coverings - an entire wardrobe - have also been developed by Nike. The Swift gloves and arm coverings have dimpled fabrics like a golf ball to cut wind resistance. In testing, the design team found that compared with bare skin, the gloves and arm coverings reduced drag by 19 percent and the socks reduced it by 12.5 percent.
Nike also sponsors the US Dream Team - the national basketball squad - and for Beijing, Kobe Bryant will be among those modelling the new USA Nike Hyperdunk colorway. The Nike Hyperdunk is 18 percent lighter than the average Nike basketball shoe and the lightest and strongest Nike has ever built. Speaking of basketball, Japan - a country far from associated with the sport - is the unlikely designer of the official Olympic basketball for Beijing, the new Molten GL7/GL6 (men/women models).
The Molten G series has been on the market for three years and has revolutionised basketball. It retains the orange panels and black seams of the standard basketball but adds additional cream panels, which aid visibility. The design claims to improve passing and shooting accuracy, while the round pebbles on the surface have been flattened somewhat, increasing contact for better grip and optimum control.
It's worth recalling that the ancient Olympians usually competed naked, apparently to heighten their sense of vigour and combat. And given that almost all fashion is essentially a merry-goround - and eventually everything comes back into style - it may not be long before the ultimate Olympic outfit is once again the good old birthday suit.
MUST-HAVE EQUIPMENT
THE ULTIMATE BIKE
IN THE space of 10 years British track cycling has gone from being a joke to being the best in the world, and along with identifying the right talent, they've also embraced the technology of the sport.
Irish cycling is starting to do the same, and after a long wait, Mayo's David O'Loughlin qualified for Beijing in the 4-kilometre individual pursuit.
Team manager Frank Campbell has been ensuring O'Loughlin gets to ride the best bike possible, so he is at no disadvantage. When it comes to track cycling, image and design really are everything, and no one will get away with riding anything less than a super-lightweight, custom-built bike.
Several different frame manufacturers were tried, but in the end it was decided they'd go with Terry Dolan Frames, the Liverpool builders who since the 1980s have been perfecting the frame. Terry Dolan has already seen riders claim Olympic, national and world titles using his frames, which are regarded as the best, and lightest, in the business.
O'Loughlin will have three custom-built carbon frames in Beijing, each costing around €3,000. But when everything else is included - handlebars, wheels, cranks, etc - the total cost of the bike is over €10,000. The carbon Navigator wheels alone cost €2,000.
THE WORLD'S FASTEST SWIMSUIT
IN THE first six months of the year there were 42 world records set across the range of swimming events, and 38 of those were set by swimmers wearing the Speedo LZR Racer. Coincidence or an obvious technological breakthrough? Possibly a bit of both.
Either way, the Speedo LZR is clearly a swimsuit like no other. It is currently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in an exhibition of superhero costumes. The American Michael Phelps, who is chasing a record eight gold medals in Beijing, is among the devotees of the LZR and looks a lot like a
superhero while wearing it. His team-mate Natalie Coughlin also wore it at the US Olympic Trials last month.
Speedo claim the LZR reduces drag, muscle oscillation and skin vibration better than any other swimsuit. Designed with the help of the US space agency NASA, the LZR keeps swimmers in a corset-like grip, which allows them to maintain the best body position in the water for longer. Some reports have credited the LZR with reducing swimming times by up to two per cent, although Speedo themselves aren't making such definite claims - for fear the swimsuit be deemed to offer an unfair advantage.
In the meantime, almost every swimmer with medal hopes for Beijing wants to wear the LZR.
Earlier this year Japan's Kosuke Kitajima, the double Athens Olympic champion, broke the 200-metre breaststroke time wearing the LZR, but the Japanese swimming federation were insisting he must wear their Mizuno-sponsored swimsuit. Kitajima threatened not to swim in Beijing unless he were allowed wear the LZR, and eventually the federation relented.
Italy and Germany are among the other leading swimming nations to have endorsement deals with rival brands. The Italian team are sponsored by Arena, but have been given permission to wear the LZR provided they pay a fine. The German team are sponsored by Adidas, and their federation is still insisting their swimmers wear Adidas suits - which, by the way, have been recently redesigned to effectively mimic the LZR.
THE PERFECT SPIKE
BILL BOWERMAN began building runners for his athletes at the University of Oregon back in the late 1960s, and in 1971 he co-founded the company Nike, named after the Greek goddess of victory.
Since then, Nike have continued to pioneer running-shoe technology, and they have come up with a range of spikes for the Beijing Olympics.
Nike's latest industry development is termed Flywire technology, modelled on the chords of a suspension bridge, and essentially designed to keep the shoe together without the need for excess material. This has resulted in what they claim to be the lightest running spike ever - the Zoom Victory, a mere 93 grams.
Their middle-distance shoe, the Zoom Matumbo, is only slightly heavier. China's big gold medal hope on the track, the 110-metre hurdler Liu Xiang, will be among those using the Flywire spike, and for the sake of the 1.3 billion expecting him to win, Liu will at least want to make sure he has them laced up good and tight.