Mujinga Kambundji is readying to compete in the athletics competitions at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics at the beginning of August. She has been training with high-tech methods, as reported by the Swiss broadcasting company Schweizer Fernsehen. The Swiss sprinter retained her gold title in the 200 metres at the European Championships in Rome this spring. In the final few weeks before Paris, she is reported to have been using training methods including Airshield technology. Developed at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH), the motorised wind shield is pulled in front of the top athlete to drastically reduce air resistance and enable her to reach higher speeds, according to the report.
The innovative technology is described as a higher level of overspeed training – a technique Mujinga Kambundji is reported to have used previously in the shape of a towing device with a cable. The technique is designed to get an athlete’s body used to times they can only achieve in a competitive setting with an audience and lots of adrenaline.
According to the report, the ETH solution stands out because Airshield is equipped with sensors and cameras to regulate its distance to the runner. This reportedly eliminates the risk of crashes between the athlete and the plexiglass of the windscreen. “I got used to it fairly quickly and trusted the machine," highlighted the top athlete in the SRF report.
Mujinga Kambundji will be a speaker at the Open-i innovation conference in Zurich this November. In a session organised by the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property, she and experts from the field will talk about brand protection in elite sport, the balancing act between fan interests, sponsors' rights and the protection of athletes' personal rights, including in connection with major events such as the Olympic Games.
The ETH is also part of the event: on 21 November, the ETH Industry Day in Kongresshaus Zurich will showcase research projects, technologies and spin-offs, and establish connections to industrial applications.
Open-I describes itself as the Swiss innovation community and dialogue platform for the economy and the science sector. Taking place on 21 and 22 November, the conference aims to bring together academic and economic experts to secure Switzerland's leading role as an innovative and successful market. Open-i is organised by NZZ Connect, a branch of the NZZ based in Bern. Tickets are available now. ce/yvh
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