Academic to boost performance of Paralympians
Overcoming obstacles to peak performance is part and parcel of University of the Sunshine Coast scientist Associate Professor Brendan Burkett’s role as Sports Science Coordinator for the Australian Paralympic swimming team.
So it’s little wonder that Dr Burkett and his team were the first to discover the easiest way to put on the new skin-tight swimsuits that have attracted almost as much attention in Beijing as the Olympic swimmers themselves.
“They are a very tight fit and very difficult to get on, and the process is even more complicated if you have a person with a disability,” Dr Burkett said. “So you need some mechanisms to help people in getting in and out of them.
“We found that if you slide a plastic bag over your foot, the plastic allows you to glide your leg through the swimsuit, making it much easier to put on.
“We worked this out at our recent Paralympic training camp and then shared that information with everyone else.”
Dr Burkett, a four-time Paralympic swimmer and world record holder, will travel to Beijing this week to coordinate the sports science efforts for the Aussie Paralympic swim team which will compete from 7-15 September.
His work will include analysing races and helping to assess the physiotherapy, medical and psychological needs of team members. It also will involve helping the competitors acclimatise to the Beijing weather.
During the Paralympics, the USC academic also will collect data for International Olympic Committee approved research projects into the performances of athletes in hand cycling, swimming and wheelchair rugby.
— Terry Walsh