Since it was lit in Athens back in May, the Olympic torch has so far travelled over 27 000 km through 13 countries – carried by snowmobile, camel, canoe and even underwater. For the thousands of participants at this year’s Olympic games, the journey to Sydney has been no less arduous. It has taken strength, determination and years of intensive training to qualify for the ultimate sporting event. And as the torch is carried into the Olympic Stadium on 15 September, one thought will be at the forefront of the athletes’ minds: winning.

With improvements in performance becoming ever more slight in some sports, many experts believe that today’s sportsmen and women are approaching some kind of physical limit. It is not surprising, therefore, that athletes are increasingly turning to science and technology in their quest to run faster, jump higher and throw further.

Swifter, higher, stronger

Technology can be used to improve sports performance in two ways: either by helping the athlete to perfect his or her technique, or by refining the equipment used. Manufacturers like Nike and Speedo spend millions of dollars each year on research to develop the footwear and swimsuits that could help shave vital milliseconds off world records. Sport, however, is not meant to be a test of who has the best equipment, but an even match between one athlete and another. The sports’ governing bodies keep a careful watch on technological developments to make sure that the ability and skill of the athletes still count.

In the following feature, Steve Haake looks at the influence of technology on the 100-metre sprint, the pole vault and the javelin. The technology available to top-class sprinters is limited to lighter running shoes, Lycra bodysuits to reduce wind resistance and improved track surfaces. Even with these developments, the winning times for the 100-metre sprint at the Olympics appear to be levelling off. Sprinting, it seems, remains a test of raw speed.

It is a different story for pole-vaulting. The sport literally reached new heights in the early 1960s when lighter and stronger glass-fibre poles replaced the bamboo that had been used since the 1900s. Pole-vaulters have even changed their technique to make the most of the new technology. Athletes competing 100 years ago used to go over the bar with their feet pointing downwards. Now they can bend the pole much further to extract as much of the strain energy as possible, turning upside down as they propel themselves over the bar. Although the winning heights are beginning to level off, researchers are continuing to develop new composite materials and designs that could add an extra few centimetres to the winning height.

Not all changes to sports equipment improve performance. By the mid-1980s athletes were almost able to throw the javelin the full length of a sports stadium, putting spectators’ lives at risk. The international ruling body decided that the javelin had to be redesigned to underperform, and turned to the laws of physics for a solution. As a result the centre of mass of the javelin was moved, but as athletes adapt to the new javelin it might not be long before another design change is needed.

Coaching tips

Gymnastics is one the most breathtaking and defining sports of the Olympics. One of the most memorable moments in Olympic history was when 14-year-old Nadia Comaneci scored seven perfect scores at the Montreal games in 1976. In his feature, Fred Yeadon describes how a fundamental understanding of the mechanics behind twisting somersaults is helping gymnasts devise more complex routines in pursuit of the perfect score.

Gymnasts, divers and trampolinists are free to somersault, twist and tilt within the constraints imposed by angular momentum. Yet certain skills are more highly rated than others. Computer models of the body, which are based on the equations of motion and conservation of angular momentum, are now being used as a coaching aid. The simulations can identify simple movements that can lead to more complex twisting somersaults. Champion trampolinists have used the technique to learn new skills and remain competitive.

Swimmers face a different set of challenges, as Hideki Takagi and Ross Sanders report in their feature. In a sport where a hundredth of a second can make all the difference, success at the top level depends on small refinements of technique to increase propulsion and reduce drag. Sport scientists have developed a series of experiments to measure the hydrodynamic forces on the body and hands, and advise coaches and competitors accordingly. For instance, many swimmers in Sydney will be wearing a new full-length swimsuit developed specifically to reduce drag.

Ultimately, sporting performance is still down to the skill of the athlete. But there is no doubt that a knowledge of physics can give competitors that crucial edge.