BMW Teams With Olympic Swimmer to Improve Hydrodynamics

Rebecca Adlington is a two-time gold medal winning Olympic swimmer from the UK. In 2008, she was the first Olympic swimmer from the UK to win two gold medals in the same games in a century. Adlington teamed with BMWBMWGermany, 1918 > present87 models
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and sports scientist Professor Greg Whyte to analyze the hydrodynamic performance of swimmers and improve her performance. 

The test was done with 2m-long hydrodynamic ribbons attached to Adlington that were analyzed as she swam. It is similar to the way that BMW tests vehicles in a wind tunnel. Adlington was filmed swimming in slow motion in order to watch her technique and looking for areas to improve. 

Adlington also won at the World Championships, European Championships and Commonwealth Games. 

“It’s the attention to detail that makes the difference at this level and obviously my positioning and form underwater are absolutely vital to my performance – I have to make sure I’m nice and centered, that my core’s drawn in and that my legs are completely straight. It is amazing to be able to step back and review my swim to see what else I can learn," said Adlington. 

“Swimmers are trying to maximize their underwater performance with the use of minimum energy and this is mirrored in the work that BMW conducts to analyze how a car moves through the air. We are constantly striving to make our vehicles as streamlined as possible, because that’s what improves efficiency and performance," said Dr. Eder, BMW's EfficientDynamics expert. 

BMW tests its vehicles similar to the way Adlington was evaluated. Its cars are placed in a wind tunnel to fine tune their shape. BMW says that about 40% of a vehicles drag coefficient comes from its basic shape. The other 60% come from other aspects of the design like openings to cool the engine or brakes. Better aerodynamics provides better fuel economy. 

BMW is the official vehicle of the Olympics, and it has provided financial support to 150 British athletes.