Taking inspiration from golf, one of the slowest sports on the planet, Nike’s new track suits are covered in dimples. Just like a golf ball, these dimples decrease wind resistance. Nike claims that these suits can shave off a whopping 0.23 seconds off a runner’s time, which for the Olympics, can make the difference between first place and fifth place.

The Pro TurboSpeed, as Nike calls it, leaves no doubt as to what the suit is designed to do. Taking inspiration from what is probably the world’s laziest sport, golf, the suit is covered in hundreds of tiny dimples designed to reduce its aerodynamic drag. And after thousands of hours of testing in a wind tunnel, Nike claims it can cut 100-meter dash times by as much as 0.23 seconds compared to the company’s previous generation track suits. Which of course could easily be the difference between a world record, a medal, or not placing at all.

The suits are also designed to be as comfortable as possible to not hinder an athlete’s performance. They’re created with fabrics that are lighter than ever, and have all of the elastics and edge finishes placed on the outside so there’s nothing rubbing against their skin that could distract them.

Yeah you could make the argument that running should be about the athleticism, not the technology and you’d be right. But at the same time, high technology is at every level of the sport when it comes to world competition— it’s what makes today’s runner much faster than runners decades ago.

Via