Twenty-six hundredths of a second. That's what separated Dutch speed skater Jakko Jan Leeuwangh from a medal in the 1,000-meter race at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. And it's why the Dutch, US, and Australian teams stepped onto the ice in Salt Lake City this February wearing what may be the fastest suit in the West. The Nike-engineered uniform - an upgrade of the Swift Suit worn by gold-medal sprinter Cathy Freeman at the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney - is the product of nearly six years of research. Nike tested some 60 materials (like nylon and spandex) in various wind tunnels, recording the aerodynamic qualities of each. The trials showed that there is no single fastest material - the mesh used in a sleeve covering the narrow, swinging arm of a skater, for instance, won't offer the same performance advantages when it covers the wider, slower torso. The final Nike suit incorporates seven different fabrics - which ones, however, is top secret.
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