Portal:Sport of athletics/Selected article/3

Pressure-sensitive starting blocks with loudspeakers. A pressure sensor will detect an early start and the loudspeakers provide the runners with the sound from the starter all at the same time.

Starting blocks are a device used in the sport of track and field by sprint athletes to brace their feet against at the start of a race so they do not slip as they stride forward at the sound of the starter's pistol. The blocks also enable the sprinters to adopt a more efficient starting posture and isometrically preload their muscles in an enhanced manner. This allows them to start more powerfully and increases their overall sprint speed capability. For most levels of competition, including the whole of high-level international competition, starting blocks are mandatory equipment for the start of sprint races. (Full article...)

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