Olympic sports keeps pushing athletes to find new and nuanced ways to condition their bodies. The same is true with their equipment. Engineers continually look for new refinements that propel the competition to a new level.

Much of this latter challenge lies in the realm of biomechanics, or movement science. Ami Drory is biomechanist at the Australian Institute of Sport. One of his new developments for the 2012 summer games in London was to find a better “fitout” of kayakers in the canoe slalom.

Fitout means building custom parts of foam and wood for the seat of the craft.

It sounds like a simple matter of measurement and cushioning, but in the slalom, fitout gives the competitors an especially crucial edge. In the event, paddlers have to maneuver through 18–25 gates as fast as possible. The tough parts are the segments that are upstream. To propel against the whitewater, the paddle, kayaker, and canoe must act together as one.

“The transfer forces applied through the paddle is a primary determinant of success,” explains Drory. “A good fitout allows the athlete to use his full range of motion while transferring as much force as possible into the water.”

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