Heat is on Australian sailors testing mettle in Tokyo hot box ahead of 2020 Olympics
The heat in Tokyo is a hot topic of conversation for athletes and teams competing at Olympic Games venues. But sailors have come up with a novel way of keeping their cool.
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The heat in Japan has proved to be a hot topic at the Olympic sailing test event with Australia and rival teams testing an array of devises to beat the big heat — including slushie machine ice vests, cold drinks and cool towels becoming the norm as sailors spend up to eight hours in the boat park preparing to race or on the water competing.
Australian Sailing performance boss Iain Murray said airconditioned containers and crew accommodation have been supplied to help athletes cope with the heat at the recent test event and World Cup regatta in Endoshima, Japan.
Testing is being conducted on sailors with a multitude of cooling strategies used to keep them icy cool in the big heat.
The Australian team boasts multiple sailors from across NSW with Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin hailing from the Northern Beaches, world Laser champion Tom Burton from Baulkham Hills, 470 world champion crew Will Ryan and his 49erFx sister Jamie from the Newcastle region and the majority of the team regularly training out of the Sailing Australia base at Mosman and on Sydney Harbour.
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We’ve just been trying to make sure our core is low with ice baths and drinking cold drinks from the slushie machines
“It’s been pretty hot, pretty humid,” Darmanin said of the 30 plus degree heat and extreme humidity athletes have been battling.
“We’ve been doing pre-cooling, wearing ice vests and ice caps — the caps look pretty silly on you head but work.
“The good thing for us was we were able to prepare before the regattas in the heat which helped.
“We’ve just been trying to make sure our core is low with ice baths and drinking cold drinks from the slushie machines.
“Seven hours in a boat park and on the water in 35 degrees os in pretty exhausting.”
Newcastle sailor Will Ryan said he had modified his training off the water to avoid reheating.
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“It is pretty incessant,” the 470 world champion said.
“I love being an outdoor person but it is tough.
“You have to do stuff early here.
“I’ve been leaving at 5am to get a little run or bike ride in.”
In recent weeks a number of official Test events and races have been held in Tokyo, from rowing to triathlon.
In the triathlon some race times were moved to earlier in the day to beat the heat.
Manly triathlete Emma Jeffcoat said the heat was so intense during the women’s triathlon “I felt like I was melting from the inside out”.