Swiss athletes boost speed with windshields
Swiss athletes could maximise training sessions using a mobile windshield that reduces air resistance. The ‘Airshield’ device is currently being tested by female sprinter Mujinga Kambundji.
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“It helps me to get the last percentage out of my training,” said Kambundji in a video published by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ).
The Airshield is a windshield on wheels made of Plexiglas. It is pulled in front of the runners with a go-kart. The go-kart is controlled by a driver, but the speed is automatically regulated by special sensors.
ETHZ professor Melanie Zeilinger, who was involved in the development of the Airshield, explains in the video that this allows a new type of overspeed training to be carried out.
According to the university, athletes can achieve competition speeds during training that are otherwise only possible due to an increased adrenaline level. “This is extremely beneficial for us athletes. It can also take Swiss athletics as a whole a step forward,” said ETH student and athlete Géraldine Frey.
Translated from German by DeepL/mga
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