BEIJING, China — The fastest speedskaters at the Olympics don’t wear any socks.
Speedskaters have custom boots that fit so tight to their feet, there’s no room to put on a sock when they’re out on the ice.
At the Olympic level, athletes racing in speedskating have to get their feet used to being cold because U.S speedskating high-performance director Shane Domer says their custom molded carbon fiber boots are so tight they can’t put on a warm sock.
“There’s no insulation,” said Domer. “The way these boots are molded to their feet, it leaves no room for error.”
The idea is that a foot could slip a little inside a boot, and that slip would mean wasted energy and slower times.
“Our athletes are barefoot when it gets molded their barefoot when they skate,” said Domer. “That’s to provide minimal slippage when they are in the skate and putting down the power they put down.”
This is important in a sport where gold and fifth place could be measured by fractions of a second.
“Hundredths of thousands of a second sometimes that separate first from third,” said Domer.
And because their boots are custom-fitted, athletes often have several pairs if something happens to them while traveling the world.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Beijing Olympics
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