Welcome to The Tech Race.
In rowing, the difference between winning and losing
can be razor thin.
This rowing sensor can make the difference. Why?
(ROWING POWER SENSOR)
This technology is key to collecting data about the
rower's effort, and with this information,
to improve accuracy without expending unnecessary energy.
Nowadays, to reach the Olympic Games with a good level,
you need technology that helps to train
to the most precise level.
Training has to be of a very good quality for the athlete
to achieve maximum performance.
(ARGENTINA)
(BUENOS AIRES)
(ARGENTINIAN NATIONAL ROWING CENTRE)
At the National Rowing Centre in Buenos Aires,
we investigate a technology that measures the frequency,
amplitude and movements of the rower.
Technically, it is a row-meter attached to the boat,
and with this technology, we can measure what happens with
each stroke, during a regatta or whilst training.
You can measure the necessary power, speed,
angle of entry and exit of the oars and boat movement
so that the trainer can give the right feedback.
The system is made up of three parts -
the rowlock, which measures force and angle.
An accelerometer that goes inside the boat,
which measures acceleration, then underneath a propeller,
it measures the boat's speed.
(SINCE THE OLYMPIC GAMES STOCKHOLM 1912,
RACES ARE COMPETED OVER A 2,000M COURSE)
With this device we can see a visual representation of how
an athlete performs during a training session.
These variables are sent to the computer and saved.
Depending on the quality of the data recordings chosen,
it could be minutes or hours of information.
(BARON PIERRE DE COUBERTIN,
FOUNDER OF THE MODERN OLYMPICS, WAS A ROWER)
In the past, one would film and repeat,
then watch the film in slow motion,
and calculate times on paper with a stopwatch.
Here she's applying more force on this oar.
Here, the changes in speed are varying too much to produce
a good rowing movement.
We will have to go over things.
It's like asking someone to calculate
a square root on paper, or giving them a calculator.
The device measures force and acceleration on both axes,
behind and in-front and vertical - up and down.
It also measures the angle of entry and exit of the oar
in the water.
The rowing stroke is divided into several phases -
out of the water and in the water.
That's when the boat begins to move.
When we slide forwards in the boat, if we do it quickly,
the stroke is annulled.
This helps us to become aware of our propulsion,
power and velocity in the water.
(LUCIA PALERMO PARTICIPATED IN THE OLYMPIC GAMES ATHENS 2004,
LONDON 2012 AND RIO 2016)
Rowing has been staged at all the editions of the
Olympic Games since Paris 1900.
Elisabeta Lipa holds the most Olympic medals for rowing.
Between Los Angeles 1984 and Athens 2004, she won five gold,
two silver and one bronze medals -
successes that can only be achieved when technique is
mastered to perfection.
The oar has a key amount of time between when it is out
of the water and the boat begins to accelerate,
that time is crucial in every single stroke.
There are 240 strokes in each regatta.
If we gain 1cm in each stroke, we would gain 2.5m overall.
Sometimes you win by a centimetre.
The difference between a gold medal or nothing is very small.
Every centimetre counts.
(THE TECH RACE)