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Shelley Osterloh ReportingNew technology is helping US athletes train more efficiently and improve their performance. This week 100 of the top US athletes are gathered in Colorado Springs for the Olympic media summit.
If you want to take a great example of new technology helping athletes out, take a look at speed skating. In 2002 they won a record number of medals – 11 medals. In fact, if speed skating were a country, they would have placed eighth in the number of medals they won.
Last night Nike a new swift suit. So what do the athletes think about them?
Rusty Smith, U.S. Short Track Speed Skater: "These suits are a lot different than 2002's suits. They have the cut proof panels in them, in all different places where you have different arteries. These suits are a lot more comfortable than Salt Lake ones. The Salt Lake ones had a real thick coating on them to make them fast. Because of that they were really hard for us to move in."
Jen Rodriguez, US Long Track Speed Skater: "Every piece on this suit is designed depending on how fast each part of your body moves. It fits good. It's way more mobile than the others, than the original suit which made us more like robots."
Chip Carpenter, US Long Track Speed Skater: "You can breathe in it a whole lot easier, and in speed skating you wanna be real relaxed out there and be able to actually breathe."
Traditionally, after countries host the Games, they have about a 40% drop in the number of medals they win, but USA is determined not to let that happen. Some of these advances in technology help the athletes do their best in Torino.
