Local Olympic champion, Erica Wiebe, is letting everyone in on part of her winning strategy. On top of years of hard training, Wiebe said science also gave her the edge in the gold medal match last week.
On Thursday, in front of fans, Wiebe proudly showed off her Olympic gear from Rio at an event hosted by the Canada Science and Technology Museum.
One item that was not showcased on the world stage, but played a key role in Wiebe’s victory is her biometric training vest. The vest has built in sensors that measure progress as Wiebe practices, letting her know if she is training at the right level.
“We had the best physiologist in the world working for us and with us. For them to be able to take this data and implement in training, I mean, I felt more fit than I had ever felt when I stepped onto the mats on the 18th,” Wiebe said.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum will now be part of this story by housing the gear in a new exhibit, scheduled to open in 2017.
“It shows the spectrum of where wearable technology can take you, if it is used on a wrestling mat then it’s used everywhere else. It’s a great narrative for us to be able to speak about,” said Alex Benay, CEO of the museum.
Wiebe won gold in the women’s freestyle 75kg. wrestling competition on August 18th.
