Courtesy: Dr Ken Ono & Will Tenpas
Wearable sensors are all over the place. Over half one million diabetics in North America alone put on a glucose monitor paired with an insulin pump to handle their situation, and tens of millions extra put on smartwatches and health trackers to document and monitor health-related metrics. The thought of wearable sensors in healthcare has gone from revolutionary to ubiquitous. And in sports activities, instruments from sleep trackers to golf membership swing pace displays have moved from a distinct segment to the norm. With World Aquatics permitting wearables in competitors (as of January 2023), swimming is now on observe to learn from these technological breakthroughs as effectively.
Right here we spotlight the affect swimming’s new wearable – eo SwimBETTER – can have on a swimmer, an affect that contributed to probably the most spectacular success tales out of a historic Paris Olympics.
Whereas there was rampant hypothesis going into the 800m free, practically all of it centered across the brewing battle between Ariarne Titmus and world document holder Katie Ledecky. May Ledecky win her fourth gold in a row within the occasion, or would Titmus put a cease to her dominance?
Initially of the ultimate, this hypothesis made sense. Ledecky and Titmus burst out to an early lead, whereas American Paige Madden flipped on the first 50m in an inauspicious sixth place, already a second behind Ledecky and Titmus. On the midway level, Madden lurked in fifth, removed from podium place. However abruptly and seemingly out of the blue, she surged into third on the 550m mark. Madden didn’t simply make up floor on these battling for third – she closed in on the veteran Ledecky and Aussie famous person Titmus.
By 700m, Madden was in a robust place for a podium spot and finally completed in 8:13.00 – splitting an actual even 4:06.5/4:06.5 for the Olympic bronze medal. Her time secured her place because the fourth-fastest 800m performer of all time, behind the likes of Ledecky, Titmus, and Summer time McIntosh. The extremely anticipated showdown between Ledecky and Titmus lived as much as the hype, with the American edging out the Aussie star for a fourth consecutive gold medal. For a few of us, the race had an excellent ending, when the long-lasting Olympic champion invited her good friend and teammate to share the highest step on the rostrum for his or her nationwide anthem.
Picture: Mike Lewis.
Very similar to her 800m, Madden didn’t begin the Olympic 12 months with a bang. After failing to make the 2023 US staff for Worlds in Fukuoka, she practically retired from the game, finally deciding to purpose for a spot on her second US Olympic staff.
She determined to do that at Arizona State College as a member of Bob Bowman and Herbie Behm’s professional group, whereas persevering with to work with Dr. Ken Ono, a mathematician and efficiency analyst on the College of Virginia. 9 months earlier than the U.S. Olympic Trials, Madden has a greatest time of 8:32 – a time that gained’t simply fail to medal however would’ve completed greater than 12 seconds adrift of a US Olympic spot in 2021. So, she seemed for change.
Within the lead-up to the Olympic Trials, Madden started coaching with eo SwimBETTER. She is examined by Dr. Ono’s UVA primarily based analytics group, and so they recognized a number of areas of alternative, which (spoiler alert) finally helped her minimize multiple second per lap within the 800m free. To search out the place she will be higher, she raced a 200m free time trial sporting the eo SwimBETTER handsets.
Utilizing eo SwimBETTER’s Stroke Path and Drive Discipline information, the staff noticed the propulsive power of Madden’s left arm dropped by roughly 30% as she fatigued. The trigger? As a substitute of pulling again, her catch turned virtually totally vertical, pushing the water downwards, as an alternative of propelling her forwards.
Whereas Madden has an almost excellent stroke when not racing a competitor, the staff acknowledged that Olympic races amplify stress, with the 800m free being a grueling eight-minute recreation of bodily and psychological chess. So, they arrange race simulations with a varsity D1 swimmer in fins to push Madden at vital factors. The eo SwimBETTER information highlighted, that when challenged in intense competitors, Madden’s arm began crossing over, leading to her power going out to the left as an alternative of within the ahead propulsive path. Video evaluation linked this sample to her breath and her arms having to compensate for an absence of physique rotation and taking a look at her competitor. Correcting this tendency had the potential to lead to big time drops.
With eo SwimBETTER’s insights, Madden retested the next day below the identical circumstances and was capable of vastly enhance her numbers in simply 24 hours, going from shedding ~30% of her energy to really gaining propulsive energy because the race went on.
Madden stated, “Once I first noticed the eo SwimBETTER information, I used to be truthfully shocked. I didn’t really feel like my arm was crossing over, nevertheless it’s so apparent and the information doesn’t lie. As soon as these inefficiencies have been identified, I might focus my coaching precisely the place it mattered. Inside days, I used to be seeing enchancment, and over time, it utterly reworked my efficiency.”
Over the subsequent two months, Madden labored arduous to ingrain the changes in order that come race day she was prepared. Whereas she was completely able to making the changes, she would have had no thought to focus on these particular areas of her approach with out eo SwimBETTER highlighting these inefficiencies. Even exact video couldn’t establish the refined modifications that an athlete as elite as Paige wanted to make. Moreover, these assessments performed an vital function in devising her race technique for the 800m – attempting, and succeeding, to even cut up the race with newfound religion that she would catch lots of the different Olympians who leapt out forward of her within the opening laps.
The outcomes of those modifications converse for themselves.
Paige Madden with Dr Ken Ono after the 4×200 freestyle relay medal ceremony in Paris.
In regards to the Authors:
Ken Ono is the STEM Advisor to the Provost and the Marvin Rosenblum Professor of Arithmetic on the College of Virginia. He’s additionally a professor by courtesy of knowledge science and a professor affiliate in statistics. Within the Nineteen Eighties he raced bicycles, and from 2012-2014 he competed as a member of age group Staff USA in triathlon. He has served as a advisor for dozens of US Nationwide Staff members and Olympic medalists.
Will Tenpas lately accomplished a grasp’s diploma in information science on the College of Virginia. He graduated from Duke College with a B.S.E. in mechanical engineering in 2023, the place he was additionally a four-year member of the varsity swim staff and two-time captain.
