TORONTO – Going into the Sochi Games, the tech-laden U.S. speed skating team uniform, dubbed the “Mach 39,” was said to make athletes even faster.
But as athlete after athlete on Team USA failed to win a medal – including favourite Shani Davis – some blamed the new suits.
Built with help from Under Armour and fighter-jet-maker Lockheed Martin, the suit uses strips of polyurethane material that block airflow on the forearms, calves and forehead, and a new diagonal zipper.
READ MORE: Tech-laden uniforms all the rage in Sochi
It also features strips of grey material called “ArmourGlide,” a high-tech material that reduces friction by up to 65 per cent, on the inner thighs.
The suit was put through over 300 hours of wind tunnel testing to make the most of its features.
But according to a report by the Wall Street Journal, the suit’s ventilation system – meant to allow heat to escape, regulating the athlete’s temperature – was causing drag and slowing down the skaters.
“One skater said team members felt they were fighting the suit to maintain correct form,” read the report.
It also noted that several of the skaters voted to have a panel of material on the suit modified before their races, including Heather Richardson who was ranked first in the women’s 1,000 metres. She placed seventh in the event.
Over the weekend, U.S. team members elected to wear the old Under Armour suits that they wore during the Olympic trials.
The ordeal has Under Armour doing some serious damage control.
The Baltimore-based company, which is also sponsoring the U.S. bobsled and skeleton teams as well as the Canadian snowboard team, said in a statement that it is dedicated to providing “state-of-the art technology.”
The brand was the most buzzed-about Olympic sponsor online on Tuesday, according to Kontera, which monitors brands that are mentioned in online conversations.
The amount of social chatter about the brand increased 300 per cent from last week compared with the weekend, as the speed skating problems unfolded for the U.S. team.
But the U.S. speed skating team wasn’t the only one to embrace high-tech materials in its uniforms – the Canadian skaters are also wearing advanced suits that even include a very thin Kevlar base layer that is strong enough to withstand the slash of another skater’s blade in the event of a fall.
Canadian speed skater Charles Hamelin, who took home gold in the 1,500-metre race earlier in the Sochi Games, has also had bad luck when it came to his final events.
Hamelin was eliminated from the Olympic men’s 1,000-metre short track event Saturday after falling in the quarter-finals. However, the Canadian suits have steered clear of controversy — there are no suggestions the suits are to blame.
– With files from The Associated Press
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