The Technology behind Tokyo Games' Fast Track
2021-08-04
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1Last weekend at the Tokyo Olympics, a runner from Jamaica broke a record in the women's 100-meter race that had lasted for 33 years.
2Elaine Thompson-Herah went the distance in 10.61 seconds and won the gold medal.
3Her time beat the previous record set by Florence Griffith-Joyner at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
4But Thompson-Herah is not the only competitor in Tokyo going fast.
5Many other Olympians are running faster than ever too.
6With all the fast times, some people are thinking the running surface, known as a track, is helping the runners.
7Others think it could be a new material in their shoes.
8The track is made by Mondo, an Italian company that makes running surfaces for sports competitions.
9The shoes, known as Vaporfly, are made by Nike.
10Mondo created its first track for the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.
11It has supplied tracks to 12 different Olympic Games.
12The company built the track in Tokyo's Olympic Stadium in late 2019.
13Because the Games were postponed for one year, the surface was not used much before the athletes arrived.
14Ronnie Baker is an American 100-meter runner.
15He told The Associated Press that running on the surface "feels like I'm walking on clouds."
16He called the track "beautiful" and "smooth."
17Mondo says the Olympic track is designed to "maximize the speed of athletes and improve their performance."
18The top part of the track is made from extra-hard rubber.
19Below that are spaces containing air holes.
20This design aims to take the shock and help runners bounce off the track after each step.
21Another American runner is Clayton Murphy.
22He runs the 800 meters -- two times around the track.
23"Oh, it's fast," Murphy said of the track's surface.
24"Might take world records to win."
25Nike's high-tech Vaporfly shoe came out a few years ago.
26It includes a piece of carbon fiber that has already helped long-distance runners finish their races minutes faster than before.
27Runners in Tokyo are permitted to use this same shoe technology on the track.
28No one is completely sure why the Olympic runners are going so fast.
29Of course, the Olympics are a gathering of the best runners in the world who have trained for years to be in their best condition.
30Some of the events with fast runners already happened.
31On Saturday, Lamont Marcell Jacobs of Italy won the men's 100-meter race.
32He was the first runner to win the gold medal in the Olympics since the retirement of Usain Bolt, who won the gold three times in a row.
33Time will tell if the Tokyo track is faster than most.
34For example, if runners go faster at future events, we will know that it was not so special.
35One reporter asked Thompson-Herah why she thought she ran so fast.
36After winning her race, she had an easy answer.
37"My training," she said. "Doesn't matter the track or the shoes."
38I'm Dan Friedell.
1Last weekend at the Tokyo Olympics, a runner from Jamaica broke a record in the women's 100-meter race that had lasted for 33 years. 2Elaine Thompson-Herah went the distance in 10.61 seconds and won the gold medal. Her time beat the previous record set by Florence Griffith-Joyner at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. 3But Thompson-Herah is not the only competitor in Tokyo going fast. Many other Olympians are running faster than ever too. With all the fast times, some people are thinking the running surface, known as a track, is helping the runners. Others think it could be a new material in their shoes. 4The track is made by Mondo, an Italian company that makes running surfaces for sports competitions. The shoes, known as Vaporfly, are made by Nike. 5Mondo created its first track for the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. It has supplied tracks to 12 different Olympic Games. The company built the track in Tokyo's Olympic Stadium in late 2019. Because the Games were postponed for one year, the surface was not used much before the athletes arrived. 6Ronnie Baker is an American 100-meter runner. 7He told The Associated Press that running on the surface "feels like I'm walking on clouds." He called the track "beautiful" and "smooth." 8Mondo says the Olympic track is designed to "maximize the speed of athletes and improve their performance." 9The top part of the track is made from extra-hard rubber. Below that are spaces containing air holes. This design aims to take the shock and help runners bounce off the track after each step. 10Another American runner is Clayton Murphy. He runs the 800 meters -- two times around the track. 11"Oh, it's fast," Murphy said of the track's surface. "Might take world records to win." 12Shoe technology 13Nike's high-tech Vaporfly shoe came out a few years ago. It includes a piece of carbon fiber that has already helped long-distance runners finish their races minutes faster than before. Runners in Tokyo are permitted to use this same shoe technology on the track. 14No one is completely sure why the Olympic runners are going so fast. Of course, the Olympics are a gathering of the best runners in the world who have trained for years to be in their best condition. 15Some of the events with fast runners already happened. On Saturday, Lamont Marcell Jacobs of Italy won the men's 100-meter race. He was the first runner to win the gold medal in the Olympics since the retirement of Usain Bolt, who won the gold three times in a row. 16Time will tell if the Tokyo track is faster than most. For example, if runners go faster at future events, we will know that it was not so special. 17One reporter asked Thompson-Herah why she thought she ran so fast. After winning her race, she had an easy answer. 18"My training," she said. "Doesn't matter the track or the shoes." 19I'm Dan Friedell. 20Pat Graham wrote this story for the Associated Press. Dan Friedell adapted it for Learning English. Bryan Lynn was the editor. 21Why do you think the Olympic runners are going so fast? Tell us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 22___________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24record -n. a person who teaches and trains a sports competitor, performer or similar person 25medal -n. a piece of metal with designs and words on it given to honor a special event, a person or a victory in a competition 26stadium -n. a very large building, often without a roof, that has a large open space for sports and performances 27maximize -v. to increase something as much as possible 28bounce -v. to hit a surface and then move quickly away 29fiber -n. one of the thin threads that form cloth or other substances