Blood, sweat & sports tech: Grit, ingenuity and innovations boosting player performance
New Zealanders love sport, and more than anything, they love excelling at it. A mix of good ol’ Kiwi ingenuity and grit in the sports arena has created an industry rich in innovation designed to improve player performance. Caitlin Salter laces up to investigate.
Arthur Lydiard, a pocket dynamo of a man, was already a celebrated track and field coach when he introduced the world to jogging.
Lydiard kicked a smoking habit and began running seriously in the late 1930s.
Over the next decade he modified his coaching techniques and began producing champions – first Murray Halberg and Bill Baillie, then Barry Magee, Peter Snell, John Davies, and dozens of others. They won Olympic and Empire Games medals and set world records.
