Olympians look to physics

The Olympic motto of citius, altius, fortius – swifter, higher, stronger – is as true of the games now as it was when the Olympics first took place in the eighth-century BC. But the motto now extends beyond the ability of the competitors themselves and ncompasses the vast array of technologies that are available to athletes in the 21st century. This is articularly so in swimming and cycling, two events that have seen technology enhance performances significantly in recent times and which look set to benefit from further advances at the summer games this month.