KEELY HODGKINSON has lifted the lid on the state-of-the-art technology that helped her win Olympic gold in the Women’s 800 metres.
The 22-year-old claimed her futuristic pre-race look was “like a robot” as she donned heated boots and an all-in-one ice and heat vest.
The equipment, made by Nike and recovery tech experts Hyperice, is currently only available to top level athletes.
Hodgkinson is one of a few of Nike’s signature athletes to try out the new warm-up gear, joining LeBron James and Team USA sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson on the list of stars with early access.
The equipment is made to help an athlete recover in-between sessions and keep them in the best condition possible.
The vest offers athletes instant heating and cooling to better improve their warm-ups and cool-downs before and after their events.
Nearly 15,000 residents – around 10,500 of which are athletes – will be cramming into the Olympic village between July 26 and August 11.
To ensure the athletes feel at home, a number of provisions have been made by organisers.
One of these is the stocking of some 300,000 condoms, in theory enough for around two every day during the run of the Games.
A number of Olympic athletes have opened the door on their steamy lives behind-the-scenes when in camp, including huge sex orgies and parties.
London 2012 had claimed the title of “the raunchiest Games ever”, but the 150,000 condoms ordered paled in comparison to the 450,000 ordered for the Rio Games four years later.
Condoms have been laid on by organisers at every game since Seoul 1988, when it they were used to spread awareness of HIV and AIDS.
Even with an intimacy ban at Tokyo 2020 due to Covid-19, some 150,000 johnnies were handed out.
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Two thermoelectric coolers inside the vest can help regulate the temperature of the wearer, and two sensors inside the garment monitor body temperatures during use.
While the Nike x Hyperice boots act in a similar way, providing heat and air-compression massages to the feet and ankles of the wearer – ensuring they are ready to compete.
Nike claim that their “wearable tech” helps athletes to “move, perform and recover naturally much faster”, and will be available to purchase in the future.
Hodgkinson explained what difference it makes for her as an elite sprinter after her gold medal success.
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She said: “They are very new to me, I literally got them a few days ago. It was nice of them to give it to me to try.
“The vest is heat and ice, so one button you press for heat, one button you press for ice.
“After an ice bath, I was freezing so I was using the heat.
“The boots are a form of compression and heat. They are supposed to be good for recovery.
“Nike are always trying to be ahead of the game in terms of recovery strategies.”
The tech certainly helped Hodgkinson, who etched her name in Team GB history with 800m gold in Paris with a time of 1:56.72.
The Wigan-born runner became the first woman to bring home an Olympic gold in athletics for Britain since Jessica Ennis-Hill at London 2012.
Keely managed to achieve her dream after facing an uphill battle from her teenage years, having been diagnosed with a tumour that crushed her bones and temporarily robbed her of her ability to walk.
