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The track of the Stade Louis II in the Principality of Monaco, inaugurated in 1985, needed to be completely renewed in 2020. Conica AG from Schaffhausen (Switzerland) received the order for this.
The Stade Louis II is the centre of competitive sport in the Principality of Monaco. However, the running track of the stadium, inaugurated in 1985, had become outdated and had to be completely renovated in 2020. Conica AG from Schaffhausen (Switzerland) was awarded the contract for this. The high-tech material Conipur Vmax was laid on a total area of 7,700 m2. Shortly after the opening of the track, Joshua Cheptegei from Uganda smashed the 16-year-old world record of 5,000 metres. Further records were to follow quickly. The Stade Louis II is not only home to the Monegasque football club AS Monaco. It is also the venue of the IAAF Diamond League Meeting Herculis. For the tenth anniversary in 2020, the running tracks were to be brought up to date. The architectural office Arch Monaco chose Conipur Vmax from Conica AG.
Conica has been developing and producing innovative jointless flooring solutions based on polyurethane and epoxy resins for sports, games, leisure and other areas for over 40 years. “Conica is one of the global market leaders and innovation drivers in this field”, says the company. The user-oriented requirements for technical and functional performance and usability, while guaranteeing the health aspects of the material itself and for the user, are the focus of product development.
Vmax makes athletes up to ten percent faster
The main aim of the Vmax track is to support sprinters in their movement. The foundation for this is a two-layer structure with a top and a base layer. The top layer has a resilient (stiff) surface, which supports the athlete by directing energy in the right direction. The base layer is force-stabilising and only absorbs the athlete’s energy to a limited extend, or gives it directly to the athlete via compression, thus ensuring fast and controlled forward movement of the athlete. This leads to reduced energy expenditure in the start and sprint phase and enables the sprinter to achieve maximum running performance up to the finish line.
The base layer, which is softer and more elastic, has embedded air-pockets that give the athlete the expended energy back after the compression. This works like a “kick-start”, which helps to catapult the athlete forward. Conica expects that the speed of sprinters will be increased by up to 10% with the help of Vmax. This is the result of studies carried out in cooperation with the German Sports University of Cologne.
A further advantage of the Vmax athletic track is its outstanding resilience with minimal deformation. This protects the musculoskeletal system of the athletes and ensures stable footing. This is an important factor in competition with competitors in close proximity to each other in order to help prevent, e.g., stumbling or falls during contact.
Furthermore, Conica has chosen a differentiated system structure that distinguishes between the acceleration phase at the start and the holding phase during the sprint. This will probably result in the fastest possible setting for an athletic track system for the short distance (100 m) at present.
German Sport University Cologne has tested the athletic track
Dr. Steffen Willwacher from the Institute of Biomechanics and Orthopaedics at the German Sports University of Cologne tested the Vmax and came up with the following assessment: “Following our applied material tests as well as bio(mechanical) tests, which we carried out with a top athlete, we have found that the Vmax athletic track provides the conditions for running fast – especially in the acceleration phase. Runners can better apply horizontal forces on Vmax, increase the pace faster and ultimately achieve higher speeds.”
Vmax has passed all the necessary technical tests and certifications: World Athletics Certification, EN 14877, DIN 18035, ASTM 2157 as well as biomechanical tests at the Sports University of Cologne (certification reference project Class I, II).
Records without an ending
Just how fast the new system is was demonstrated shortly after the opening of the Diamond League meeting. Joshua Cheptegei from Uganda smashed the world record for the distance of 5000 m, which has been held for 16 years, with a time of 12:35.36 minutes. But that is not all, since the reopening of the race track, further top results and records have been achieved: 11 world records, 9 national records, 3 regional records, 2 Diamond League records and 3 Herculis Monaco records.
The installation of the 7,700 m2 total area by the company Revet Sport Assistance was also record-breaking. Due to the spatial situation, delivery and access to the stadium proved to be a real challenge. Added to this was the Corona pandemic. After the lockdown in spring, there were just three weeks to install the flooring. Restrictions due to stricter hygiene measures naturally continued to apply. Fortunately, Conipur Vmax can be installed very quickly due to its two-layer structure. The attractive colour scheme makes the high-tech track a real eye-catcher: RAL 3001 for the competition zone and RAL 7036 for the training zone. (STADIAWORLD, 25.09.2020)
Homepage: Conica
