High-Speed Motion Capture Tech Is Helping Olympians Swim Better Than Ever

Video software, developed by BMW, picks up LEDs on the swimmer's body, tracking his every move down to the angle of his toes, and renders it in 2-D images. The images let the athlete study his form in minute detail and perfect even the tiniest inconsistencies, which can shave crucial seconds off his lap time. In swimming, form is just as crucial as force. Getting the smallest detail--even the angle of your ankle--just right is an obsession for the elite because it can mean the difference between podium and punching water. To help the pros, video analysis is now an indispensable training tool. "Before, we literally just used the coach's eyeball," to fix alignment, strokes, and kicks, says Nathan Adrian, a three-time gold medalist gunning for number four in Rio.