What went wrong with Under Armour's top-secret speed skating suit?
The highly touted "Mach 39" speed skating suit developed in secrecy by sports apparel company Under Armour and weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin exclusively for the U.S. team has resulted in a grand total of zero medals on the long track.
Meanwhile, Dutch skaters clad in suits that appear downright primitive in comparison to the Mach 39 have claimed 10 of the 15 medals awarded.
Something doesn't add up.
Developing the future of skating attire
Millions of dollars were spent on developing the Mach 39 suit. Wind tunnels were involved. Fewer than two dozen Under Armour employees were granted access to the project's secret prototypes.
The end result is a suit that combines five types of fabric, each with a unique intended function. Some create a more aerodynamic profile, other reduce friction between a skater's legs. That's what Under Armour says, at least.
“In real simple terms, it’s all about aerodynamics,” Kevin Haley, Under Armour’s senior vice president of innovation, told the Washington Post last year. “It’s every seam, every dot, every little potential disturbance in the air flowing over the body. Some of them are minor, but some of them are shockingly significant.”
Bold claims were made, including the suggestion that the suit could shave a half second off skaters' times. In a sport where hundredths of a second determine who wins gold and who misses the podium, accomplishing such a feat would be revolutionary.
The revolution never happened.
Shani Davis, a gold medal winner in the 1000m in 2010 and 2006, struggled to an eighth-place finish in the event. His teammates did no better.
What went wrong?
There are rumors that an air vent on the back of the Mach 39 is causing problems for skaters. Intended to allow the release of body heat, the vent could be causing drag instead. There's also talk that a gap between the suit's hood and a skater's neck is creating "a mini air brake."
Of course, it's unfair to blame the Mach 39 for the U.S. team's lack of success on the ice. Humans, not clothing, win and lose races. But it certainly doesn't seem to be helping.
Maybe the Dutch have secret supersuits of their own. Maybe they are simply fitter. Heck, maybe they just want it more.
Whatever the cause, the U.S. team will go back to the laboratory - figuratively and literally - upon the conclusion of the Sochi Games.