In the 1800s, most athletics events were on grass, dirt or cinder and synthetic surfaces made from a combination of asphalt or rubber only came along in the 1950s.
In the 1960s the first polyurethane track surfaces were made and the 1968 Mexico Olympics were the first to feature a hard synthetic surface. In 1969 Mondo developed the first vulcanised natural rubber track and they hae built every track since Montreal.
The long jump and triple jump will also be performed on a lavender track.Credit: AP
One layer of rubber is textured for optimum grip and elasticity, according to the manufacturer, while the lower layer absorbs shocks, stores and returns energy.
“We are focusing on the dynamic connection between the track and a new generation of shoes,” Mondo research and development manager Alessandro Piceli told Olympics.com.
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“For the track, we only see the aesthetics, but there is great work that goes into the underlayer.
“A new granule of polymeric material, made especially for that, was inserted in the Tokyo track. We have made it even better now.”
The IOC wants a fast track, and a ‘fast pool’ for the swimming for that matter, and they are pushing manufacturers to deliver. So hopefully purple is fast.
“The first indications are that it will be a very, very good track,” Alain Blondel, the sports manager overseeing athletics at the Games and a former Olympic decathlete, told the Olympics website.
“If we see athletes with personal bests on the scoreboard, it means we did a good job.″
Why purple?
“The big part of the job was to come up with a track that was different from what we had seen, to maintain the creative approach that the Organising Committee has had since it was set up, to go a little bit outside the box,” Blondel said.
The track in Tokyo was traditional clay red.Credit: Getty Images
“We really liked the purple as it allowed us to move away from the usual colours. That’s one of the colours of the Games that we have [along] with, blue [and] green.
“The look of the Games includes three colours for all the competition venues: blue, green and purple. We decided on this purple track with different tones: lighter for the track, darker for the service areas, and grey for the turns at the end of the bend, reminding of the ash-coloured tracks that were there 100 years ago.
“It’s a track, it has to be pretty, but above all it’s a stage on which the athletes are going to perform. What’s really important is that the colours and the athletes stand out.″
Australian 1500m runner Linden Hall was happy with the track and choice of colour.
“I’ve run on one purple track before. It was good. It’s fun. The only purple track I can think of is at University of Washington because their colours are purple,” Hall said.
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The colour is not the only change in Paris.
There is a new central sandpit for the long jump and triple jump finals, which will make those events easier to see. The jumps often feel tucked under the stand, which can make viewing difficult from the opposite side of the stadium.
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Source link : https://www.smh.com.au/sport/athletics/it-has-to-be-pretty-why-the-paris-athletics-track-is-purple-20240521-p5jfei.html
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Publish date : 2024-07-30 11:45:53
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