How can the recent breakthroughs in science be used to help top-performing athletes to win gold medals on the podium? On Wednesday morning, the sport community in Israel will get to hear some of the best and brightest minds on the topic of science and sport performance, according to a press release by the Technion, which is also hosting the event.
The two opening speakers are Professor Alon Wolf from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Muli Epstein from the Olympic Committee of Israel, the research conducted by Wolf helped to create better surfing boards to the Israeli team.
Professor Yannis Pitsiladis of Brighton University in England will speak about the challenges in running a marathon in under two hours. Doctor Alison Sheets, a senior researcher at Nike, will discuss how innovative sports equipment is improving the performances of athletes.
Coach of the Israeli women's beach-volleyball team Claudia Laciga and professional cyclist Niv Libner will be among the leading Israeli athletes who will be present and engage the scholars with real-world training issues.
One such real-world question is the usage of fins in surfing boards, different shaped fins can enhance surfing performance but their testing can be difficult as they might break. In a study called “the Mechanical signature of Olympic surfboard fins” Professor Daniel Rittel, with the support of Wolf, was able to differentiate with great accuracy what different fins do and how to use them in the most optimal way for a specific surfer. In Olympic events every second counts, and so such painstaking research can help the best athletes Israel has to offer reach their goals.