US Speedskaters Will Ditch Suits Following Olympic Losses

ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP/Getty ImagesUPDATE:  U.S. Olympic speedskaters will change their uniforms, following a spate of failures by skaters to medal, choosing to wear an earlier version made by the same manufacturer, Under Armour, sources told ESPN.com.

Skaters will wear the uniforms in which they previously competed at the World Cup last month in Japan. The new uniforms include mesh vents, which some observers say create drag.
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(NEW YORK) — Under Armor is defending its high-tech racing suits against claims that they are to blame for the U.S. speedskaters’ dismal Olympic performance — insisting their suits are “capable of winning medals.”

The suit manufacturer acknowledged it received complaints from athletes last week that a back vent, designed to keep athletes cool, could be possibly slowing them down.

Kevin Haley, senior vice president for innovation at Under Armour, said they immediately worked to cover the vent with the same fabric that is on the front of the suit — and that the American women in the 1000 meter race competed in the modified suit.

Skater Joey Mantia even tried the new suit without the aerodynamic elements, he said.

“It didn’t change anything,” Haley said. “The athletes were fast, but the medals were not there.”

U.S. Speedskating President Mike Plant told the Baltimore Sun that the team is considering reverting to the old suits.

But U.S. Speedskating’s top executive said in a statement that the evidence “does not suggest that the suits have contributed to the disappointing results to date.”

“We’re working with our athletes, coaches, trainers and Under Armour to figure out what we can do to produce better results for Team USA at these Winter Olympic Games,”  Ted Morris, executive director of U.S. Speedskating said.

Under Armour provided each member of the U.S. Speedskating team with three suits for the Sochi Olympics. One was the brand new Mach 39 suit, which has special aerodynamic elements that were developed together with fighter jet maker Lockheed Martin and tested in wind tunnels.

The other two suits were the new model without those aerodynamic elements and a version of the suit the team wore previously.

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