The US rowing team will go into battle at the Rio Olympics with a new anti-microbial suit, designed to help keep them safe from whatever lurks within the contaminated waters in Lagoa Stadium.
The seamless unisuit has been developed by Philadelphia University's Mark Sunderland and Robert J. Rechlin. New fibre blending technology allows the lightweight suit to go without seams, and the material is resistant to external moisture without sacrificing the wicking quality athletes crave from their clothes.The US rowing team will go into battle at the Rio Olympics with a new anti-microbial suit, designed to help keep them safe from whatever lurks within the contaminated waters in Lagoa Stadium. The seamless unisuit has been developed by Philadelphia University's Mark Sunderland and Robert J. Rechlin. New fibre blending technology allows the #
More than the suit's seamless design, it is the anti-microbial material knitted into it, that is making news. Designers say it will provide an extra layer of protection against the murky waters at Lagoa Stadium, where reports have suggested athletes may be competing in water contaminated with anything from rubbish to untreated sewage.
"The seamless construction and other innovations in the unisuit take it to another level of technology in performance wear," American technology magazine Gizmag quoted Sunderland as saying. "We are setting a new standard of excellence in rowing apparel."
But the unisuit is still not a failsafe way of protecting a rower because his or her arms, chest, back and head are still exposed. It also doesn't do anything to prevent the bane of any rower's existence: blisters. That said, it'll be interesting to see if the unisuit and tights have an impact come the games.
As well as supplying US rowers with the unisuit, the team has fitted Nigeria's first Olympic rower with one of the suits in the green and white of her nation's flag. (SH)
Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India