The Olympic Aquatics Stadium located near Rio de Janeiro has been the host of the 2016 Olympic swimming competition and the site of the most record breaking performances thus far in the Games.
With the majority of the competitions completed, nine new world records have been set while 24 Olympic records have been broken.
Although many of the record breaking athletes trained hard before the competition began, the unforgettable performances in 2016 can also be attributed to the condition and ventilation of the pool.
Director of the Trojan Aquatic Center, George Villarreal, operates the same technology being used in Rio and says the pool can play a large role in the performance of individual athletes.
“The swimmers know that they don't have any concerns about bad air and it really contributes to a lot of great swimming. We've seen a lot of great performances in our facility,” Villarreal said.
Dozens of state records, regional records, and even Olympic qualifying times have been set and broken inside of the Aquatics Center spanning back since 2011.
In 2013, Uvis Klanins qualified for the World Championships in Barcelona after swimming his best time inside the Center and earned a chance to represent his home country of Latvia.
The state-of-the-art ventilation system eliminates the heavy build-up of chlorine near the surface of the pool allowing swimmers to breath more freely and easily.
As the first of it's kind in the United States, the Trojan Aquatic Center has set the standard for competitive swimming pools and has been the model for facilities across the world, including Rio.
Villarreal, who has operated the Trojan Aquatic Center for six years, says when it comes to competing for a spot to go to the Olympics the venue does matter.
“Oklahoma swimmers and swimmers from the region were able to participate in the Olympic trails, which was them being on the deck at the same time as Michael Phelps, and Katie LeDecky, and Missy Franklin and some of our stars,” Villarreal said.
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