Nike unveils a whole new way to run

Not to be outdone by Speedo, Nike unveiled their Swift System apparel for the Track & Field Team representing USA in the 2008 Olympics.

This year, the Nike Swift program has expanded for Beijing. In addition to the Nike Swift unitard, athletes will have the choice of a whole new system of dress that takes the Nike Swift learnings from other sports, namely basketball, to Track and Field apparel. Nike wanted to create options for athletes since competition isn’t simply about the most lightweight, aerodynamic equipment, but also confidence. It’s the essential ingredient athletes need to perform their best, and to ensure they have that, they need apparel in which they’re comfortable.

The new uniform gives aerodynamic advantages on key parts of the body. Nike developed socks, gloves and arm coverings so that sprinters could run faster. The Nike Swift gloves and arm coverings have dimpled fabrics like a golf ball to cut wind resistance and allow arms to slice through the air faster. In testing, the design team found that compared with bare skin, the gloves and arm coverings reduce drag by 19 percent and the socks by 12.5 percent. With seven percent less drag than the Athens version, wearing the new Nike Swift Suit translates to a benefit of about .02 of a second in the 100m run.

Performance enhancing drugs might be a strict Olympic no! But evidently there are no limits on performance enhancing fabrics.

Inspired? See more photos here.