BEIJING -- Beijing's futurist Water Cube has been a birthplace of new world records over the past week. With still two days to go, more than 20 world records have been bettered at the venue, exceeding the total marks set in both Athens and Sydney.
Swimming prodigy Michael Phelps of the US leaves the pool after his men's 200m individual medley swimming semifinal during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at the National Aquatics Centre, August 14, 2008. The stadium is also known as the Water Cube. [Agencies] |
Swimmers started to smash world records in heats and more than 70 percent of the gold medals were won by swimmers swimming under the world record pace. Michael Phelps alone grabbed six golds with six new world records.
Along with the world marks, there were dozens of new Olympic records, continental records, national records and personal bests. Is there really something special with the Water Cube? Or does Speedo's revolutionary swimsuit propel swimmers go much faster?
FAST POOL
"The pool is great. It's very bright here. The water temperature is awesome. It feels fast," Greek swimmer Apostolos Tagkarakis said after his first training at the Water Cube.
Tagkarakis's feeling is not unique. Almost all swimmers said they felt comfortable and excited in the pool and some directly called it a "fast pool".
Young children (below) enjoy a water fountain area operating next to the National Aquatics Center, also known as the 'Water Cube' during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on August 15, 2008. [Agencies] |
What makes the swimmers feel fast in the pool? Among all the speculations, one assertion, which claims that the pool is deeper than normal, seemed to have convinced many.
"We had 2.5 (meters) in Omaha. FINA has now gone to 3 (meters). Swimming in a deeper pool allows you to go out faster. It doesn't beat you up like shallow water does," U.S. coach Eddie Reese said.
According to FINA regulation, the depth of a standard swimming pool ranges between two to three meters. The pool in the Water Cube is three-meter in depth.
However, the pool in the Water Cube is not the only one that reaches three meter. The pools used at the 2003 Barcelona world championships, at the Athens Olympics and at the 2007 Melbourne championships were all three meters deep.
Is it because of the water? Bulgarian Mihail Alexandrov said the water is "as smooth as honey".
The outside skin of the Water Cube is made of Teflon-like material. Composed of two layers, it's separated by an interior passage that allows the building, which seats 17,000, to breathe like a greenhouse.
Designers said the venue absorbs solar radiation and reduces thermal loss, guarantees the incoming of most of the sunlight which serves as the thermal source of swimming pool water. The temperature of the swimming pool is projected to be kept at 28 degrees Celsius, the best suitable for swimmers. But except that, they did nothing special.