Talking of records in February 2023 is quite extraordinary: the athletics world had quite an amazing week from the 13th to the 19th: in just a few days, 3 World Records were broken (Girma, 3000m Indoor – Crouser, Indoor shot put – Bol, 400m Indoor), as well as a number of national records and many World Leads.
But in this article we will be focusing only on European records, knowing that – in a few days – we will be able to enjoy another excellent sporting event: the European Athletics Indoor Championships, held in Istanbul from 2nd to 5th March.
At the Ataköy Arena, where the European Championships will be held, Mondo was chosen to supply the new sport flooring for the athletics track, the portable banked track structure and the track and field equipment.
According to the archive of European indoor records based on the sporting disciplines shared by European Athletics in this page, we can see that out of the 49 records broken so far, around 30 were broken on Mondo tracks; in other words, over 60% of European indoor records have been broken on Mondo athletics tracks.
These are significant figures, and the reasons behind them must be sought first of all in the constant efforts made by the athletes to improve their performance, but also in the production processes and technologies found in Mondo athletics tracks: let’s find out more about their features in this article.
Mondo athletics tracks are prefabricated and, in contrast to solutions cast in situ, they offer a uniform, dynamic response and complete control of the stride, rhythm and balance of every athlete, thus guaranteeing reduced energy expenditure during athletic activities, whatever the climatic and environmental conditions during installation.
Mondo athletics tracks are made from rubber, and the lower layer is characterized by a series of cavities that create a layer of closed, insulated air cells. As the athlete’s foot impacts the surface, the high pressure applied compresses the air cells which, acting elastically, absorb the impact force and vibrations. As the athlete’s foot leaves the surface, the compressed air causes the cells to spring back to their original shape, acting like bowstrings and projecting the athlete up and forward. This is a truly optimized energy response, able to support athletes in their performance: Air Cell Technology
According to these statements, it might be easy to conclude that Mondo tracks are fast and therefore ideal for competitions, but are not suited for training; but you couldn’t be more wrong: Mondo tracks are made from rubber, and what makes them fast is their elasticity, not their hardness.
Elasticity is therefore the reason why Mondo is the only system that offers the perfect combination of speed, impact absorption and support, and is what makes our surfaces ideal for both competitions and training. Athletes who train regularly on Mondo athletics tracks can improve their performance by adapting the number of steps and the length of their spikes according to body weight, thus obtaining excellent performance during races.
Looking back over the recent athletic feats, we can mention some extraordinary performances on Mondo tracks, the latest by Femke Bol: the Dutch athlete literally disintegrated the previous 400m European record held by the Czech Kratochvìlovà, set at the Palazzetto dello Sport in Milan in 1982.
Many records have been broken not only on Mondo athletics tracks but also in sports facilities that have chosen a Mondo Modultrack: the athletics track in Lievin chose a variable hydraulic banking track which, since 1995, has recorded a series of incredible results, including records still held by Christie (100m) and Privalova (200m) in 1995, Ingebringsten in 2022 over 1500m, and just a few weeks ago, Katir’s European record over 3000m (still to be confirmed).
And a European record was also broken on the removable banked track at the Ataköy Arena, where the European indoor championships will soon begin: Nataliy Dobrynska in the pentathlon, during the World Athletics Championship held in Istanbul in 2012.
So all we have to do is wait a few more days for the most important European athletics event: Mondo will be at the athletes’ feet, supporting them and guaranteeing that their efforts can be transformed into extraordinary performances.