04 Mar 2010 | Ref. 051/2010
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Olympic Gold Medalist Amy Williams
Bath, United Kingdom – Skeleton champion Amy Williams thanked British engineers and scientists today, including a team from BAE Systems for their assistance in developing ‘Arthur’, her winning sled. The sled was one of a number of factors that contributed to Britain’s first individual Winter Games Gold in over 30 years.
Following Amy Williams’ magnificent performance in the bob skeleton competition at the Vancouver Games, UK Sport and British Skeleton revealed today the work behind the scenes, which was the culmination of a four year innovation project designed to ensure British sliders were at the cutting edge of the sport.
An exceptionally talented and dedicated athlete like Amy combined with world class coaching, sports science and medical support are, of course, the key ingredients in any gold medal winning performance. But British Skeleton’s Performance Director Andreas Schmid recognised that taking an innovative approach to training, preparation, kit and equipment could be the icing on the cake when attempting to take on and beat the world’s best winter sport nations.
BAE Systems and Southampton University worked closely to provide unique technical solutions to give British athletes a further winning edge during the competition. The prototype sleds were constructed and assembled by engineers at BAE Systems’ Advanced Technology Centres in Great Baddow and in Bristol, and were first used in competition in 2009 when both Amy Williams and Adam Pengilly won silver medals at the World Championships.
The world-first design features on the sled include adjustable components as well as interchangeable structural parts, allowing bespoke design to the individual athlete’s size and sliding style. This makes the sled more responsive to the athlete’s direction and gives them greater steering control. ‘Arthur’ also features a ratchet mechanism to facilitate fast, precise and repeatable setup of the runners, allowing for the changing condition of the ice.
A comprehensive aerodynamics assessment programme was also put in place. In total over 200 hours of testing over the four year period were carried out in the wind tunnel at the University of Southampton, supported by computational fluid dynamics techniques. This element of the programme ensured that Amy’s body position, kit and equipment were primed to cut through the chilly winter air in Whistler at optimum speed – which in Amy’s case meant reaching over 143 km/h.
Amy Williams said: “It gives you such confidence going to a major competition knowing that your equipment is world class and your preparation methods are at the cutting edge of your sport. All you need to worry about is delivering on the day. I’m really grateful to all the scientists and engineers at the University of Southampton and BAE Systems who helped make me and ‘Arthur’ such a successful team.”
James Baker, Director of Technology & Engineering Services at BAE Systems, said: "Every day, BAE Systems develops and delivers some of the world's most complex and challenging engineering projects, from fighter jets to submarines. Working in partnership with the University of Southampton, we were able to apply many of the same engineering principles and processes to the design and manufacture of the bob skeleton.
"This project has demonstrated how valuable both innovative engineering and new technologies can be in making those vital fractions of seconds' difference on the track. We are immensely proud to have played a part in Amy’s success."
Dr Scott Drawer, Head of Research and Innovation at UK Sport, said: “Our job is to seek out that extra tiny drop of performance from Britain’s best athletes as we aim to help them be among the best prepared, and most feared by their competitors, when they reach the start line. We couldn’t do this without input from our partners in industry and academia who can apply their varied knowledge and expertise to the increasingly sophisticated world of high performance sport.”
About the Technology Partnership
BAE Systems and UK Sport formed a technology relationship worth £1.5 million value in kind to support British athletes in preparing for sporting success at the Olympics, Paralympics, World and European Championships. The relationship gives the British sporting world access to leading-edge technologies as well as considerable engineering knowledge and expertise. The two organisations will work together until 2012.
About BAE Systems
BAE Systems is a global defence, security and aerospace company with approximately 107,000 employees worldwide. The Company delivers a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services. In 2009 BAE Systems reported sales of £22.4 billion (US$ 36.2 billion)
About UK Sport
UK Sport is the Government agency responsible for investing in and supporting our Olympic and Paralympic sports and athletes. It currently invests around £100 million a year in the World Class Performance Programme, supporting 1,400 athletes across Olympic and Paralympic sports. It underpins this investment through providing dedicated services to sports and athletes, such as Elite Coach, Talent ID, and Research and Innovation.
For more information, please contact:
Kate Watcham, BAE Systems
Tel: +44 (0) 1252 383550 / + 44 (0) 7793 420731
kate.watcham@baesystems.com
Harry Ronaldson, Biss Lancaster
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7467 9218 Mob: +44 (0)772 0773 258
harry.ronaldson@bisslancaster.com
Issued by:
BAE Systems, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 6YU, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1252 384719 Fax: +44 (0) 1252 383947
24hr media hotline: + 44 (0) 7801 717739
www.baesystems.com
