Rings And Things: Fashion’s Impact On Olympian Performance : 1A

Katie Ledecky competes in the Women’s 800m Freestyle final on Day 4 of the TYR Pro Swim Series San Antonio at Northside Swim Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Sarah Stier/Getty Images

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Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Katie Ledecky competes in the Women’s 800m Freestyle final on Day 4 of the TYR Pro Swim Series San Antonio at Northside Swim Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Sarah Stier/Getty Images

This week, the fashion capital of the world becomes the sporting capital of the world with the Summer Olympics kicking off in Paris, France.

The world’s best athletes will be outfitted in premiere designs which not only make them look good, but also help them to compete at the highest levels possible. Name brand sponsors dress the Games and the players head to toe.

Louis Vuitton designed special trunks to carry the medals. Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty created a designated makeup look for volunteers. Even the underwear athletes wear is provided to them – by Kim Kardashian’s company Skims.

When Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky dives into the pool, she’ll be wearing a suit from apparel brand TYR, with lab-tested technology to make her glide as smoothly as possible.

How does what athletes wear affect their performance? And how do designers take that into account when creating these kinds of specialized clothing?

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