In the early 1980s, biomechanical researchers put forward the idea of improving speed skating performance with skates. 1985, under the leadership of Professor Gleiter of the Netherlands, scientists made the first pair of skates with hinges-Klap skates. Klepp's skates were widely used in Nagano Winter Olympics, breaking the record of speed skating in the Winter Olympics.
The secret is that the researchers installed a link device between the shoe and the skates near the thumb of the foot, so that when the athlete's center of gravity moves forward, the rear knife rest and the skates can be automatically separated, so that the ankle joint can be fully flexed, the strength of kicking the calf and ankle abductor muscles can be increased, and the kicking time can be prolonged without increasing the friction on the ice.
Past life of Klepp skates;
Sharp tools can do a good job. Ice skates are the core equipment of speed skaters, and their quality directly affects their performance. At present, speed skaters all use "Klepp skates". Perhaps few ice fans know that this silver blade has a history of 100 years.
From the invention of 1884 to its large-scale application in 1990s, Klepp skates have gone through a long and tortuous course, which triggered a revolution in speed skating. 1884, an Englishman named Charles Corneby got the first patent of Klepp skates, but for some reason, his idea was never put into practice in international competitions.
In 1980s, Gerrit Jan van Ingen Schenau, a Dutch biomechanicist, became the pioneer of Klepp skates. As early as 198 1, he wrote a doctoral thesis in this field.
However, when he and skateboarding manufacturer Viking applied for a European patent, they found that the idea had already been patented, and Karl Hannerz of Germany was not even the first person to patent Klepp skates (1894). Between 1884 and 1937, five patents were granted based on the idea that skates move relative to skates.
Van Ingen-Sknau didn't know about Klepp's skates before. As a biological mechanic, he saw the shortcomings of traditional skates because the blades were fixed on them. His reason is that speed skaters can't make full use of all their strength, because they must keep the skates away from the ice before their ankles and knees are fully extended, so as to prevent the tip of the knife from cutting through the ice and slowing down.
Since the early 1980s, Van Ingen Sknau has used hinges and springs on skates, so that the heels of skates can be lifted and athletes can fully stretch their knees and ankles without leaving the skates on the ice. Although some top skaters in the Netherlands initially expressed doubts about his invention, the scientist continued to cooperate with the manufacturer to improve his invention.
It was not until the season of 1994/ 1995 that a group of young skaters from the selection team of South Holland province began to use Klepp skates in the competition. Their rapid progress attracted the attention of former Dutch all-around speed skating champion and Dutch national team female coach Jesse van der Lund. In the summer of 1996, she persuaded her players to try this innovative sports equipment.
When 23-year-old Tony Derong won the European speed skating all-around championship with 1997, other athletes in the international speed skating world followed suit. 1998 At the Winter Olympics in Nagano, almost everyone used Klepp skates.
At that time, Klepp skates triggered a revolution in speed skating. In the 1997/ 1998 season, nine of the ten world records for men and women were broken because of this innovation. Klepp skates, which were neglected in those days, became a highly sought-after speed skating artifact.