The Paris Olympics, a celebration of top athletes who've refined their skills and bodies to the limit, kick off in a few hours. Technology to help enhance their already incredible performances continues to evolve, bringing changes to the frontlines of athlete development. The Olympic triathlon is a hybrid sport consisting of a 1.5 km win, 40 km bike ride and 10 km run that takes around 2 hours total to finish. Winning it takes not only top physical condition but also technique and mental preparation. In May an international triathlon was held in Yokohama. Kenji Nener (31, NTT) finished 7th, the best-ever placing by a Japanese male. "I'm getting close to my ideal range of physical motion," he said afterward, sounding enthusiastic about his chances at the Olympics. Temperature has a major impact on long-distance triathlons, so acclimatization is critical. Paris in July can be over 30˚, and in a heatwave even hotter. Core body temperature is a key element in keeping it
On 30 August, 2003 Mongolia's Ser-Od Bat-Ochir ran his first global championships marathon at the Paris World Championships. Tonight he'll be the Mongolian flag bearer in the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, and in two weeks he'll be in the marathon. In between he's been in every World Championships marathon, eleven of them, and every Olympic marathon, five. In Paris he'll become the first person to run in six Olympic marathons. The Billboard #1 hit songs at all sixteen of his global championship marathons so far: 30 Aug. 2003 - Paris World Championships - Beyoncé "Crazy in Love" 29 Aug. 2004 - Athens Olympics - Terror Squad "Lean Back" 13 Aug. 2005 - Helsinki World Championships - Mariah Carey "We Belong Together" 25 Aug. 2007 - Osaka World Championships - Sean Kingston "Beautiful Girls" 24 Aug. 2008 - Beijing Olympics - Rihanna "Disturbia" 22 Aug. 2009 - Berlin World Championships - Black Eyed Peas "I Gotta