Olympic swimmers learn from Sharks

When winning an Olympic gold medal in swimming is the goal, it helps to take inspiration from some of the best swimmers in the world — sharks and dolphins — and that is exactly what U.S. Olympic team swimmers have been doing as they train.

From suits to strokes, coaches, researchers and other advisers are making sure that their athletes benefit from fish and marine mammals’ natural swimming abilities.

“Some of our athletes are now wearing what are called ’shark skin suits,’” Russell Mark, biomechanics coordinator for U.S.A. Swimming, told Discovery News.

“These aren’t made of actual shark skin, of course, but they are slippery in feel, like sharks, and they make the wearer move faster than normal in the water by reducing friction and drag,” he explained.

Mark also indicated that excelling at the dolphin kick can make or break a swimmer’s race.

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