For the past week at the 2016 Rio Olympics , the sound swimmer in the world have been racing to make history , and to catch a medal for themselves and their country along the way . While the athlete are undoubtedly incredible , they may have to share some of that credit with the pocket billiards itself , according toSports Illustrated .

expert and athletes accord that the Rio pool is a " fast puddle , " which is a character reference to how it was plan and how those design element gain the swimmers . " A fast puddle typically has at least three beat of profundity to it , " University of California ’s women ’s swimming team jitney Teri McKeever toldSports Illustrated . " The profoundly the pool is the better , because the splash or the Sturm und Drang and everything drive longer to get down to the bottom , and then it does n’t bounce back up into the natator . " During the London 2012 Olympics , NBC ran avideo segmentabout the immobile pool at the London Aquatics Center as a part of itsScience of the Summer Olympics : Engineering In Sportsseries , calling it " one of the most technologically in advance pool ever build . " Four old age prior , announcer and swim legendRowdy Gainescalled the consortium in Beijing " the riotous pool in the world . " The pocket billiards in Rio is expected to farm just as many phonograph recording as the one in London , and it ’s all by innovation .

Depth is n’t the only thing that count . sport Illustratedreports that thing like buffer lane , lane lines , and gutters all help to break away up moving ridge and reduce wavelet and turbulence , the reduction of which provides readable soaring for the swimmers . Changes to swimsuit and the air of the locale are also say to play a theatrical role , and the athletes themselves still have to be at the top of their game to outfox out the competition . " Yes , you want a good facility , " bus McKeever toldSI , " but also I think it ’s the competition , it ’s the emotion and everything else that help with those existence track record . "

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[ h / tSports IllustratedviaTIME ]

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