Robot cameras at Olympic pools offer stunning underwater views of swimming glory
Robot cameras at Olympic pools offer stunning underwater views of swimming glory
Submersible drones with state-of-the-art cameras, guided by photographers at the Olympic poolside, give fans an in-depth look at the world’s elite swimmers. Here are some of the best views so far
Underwater cameras, like the ones these divers are working on, have vastly improved in the past decade. In a sport where success is measured in hundredths of a second, photographers have to be even faster.
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This camera managed to catch British swimmer Kieran Bird’s reflection in the lens of another camera at July 30’s 4x200m freestyle relay heats. Four of Bird’s teammates took gold in the final.
OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
The cameras at La Défense, and at the Aquatics Centre across town in Saint-Denis, captured an array of Canadian medalists: Gold for McIntosh at the women's 400m individual medley, silver for Josh Liendo at the men’s 100m butterfly (with bronze for Ilya Kharun in the same event) and bronze for Rylan Wiens and Nathan Zsombor-Murray in men’s 10m synchronized diving.
MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP via Getty Images; Quinn Rooney/Getty Images
Tough waterproof housings allow the cameras to function at considerable depth, though that is less of an issue in Nanterre than many other swimming venues. The pool, a retrofitted rugby stadium and concert hall, is only 2.2 metres deep. Three metres is optimal, and in the future, World Aquatics wants at least 2.5 metres, so that is the standard Los Angeles will follow in 2028.
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A shallower pool gives athletes a more turbulent surface to fight, a suspected reason why they are not making world records in Paris. Romania’s David Popovici got gold in men’s 200 freestyle in 1:44.72, slower than any champion in that event since 2000. U.S. star Katie Ledecky is philosophical: ‘I've heard the rumblings, but at the end of the day we’re here to race,’ she told Associated Press.
Quinn Rooney/Getty Images; MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP via Getty Images
If you’re expecting dramatic underwater photos of the swimming events on the Seine: Sorry, no. Even when the river has been deemed bacteria-free enough for competition, as it was for July 31’s women's individual triathlon, the water is too murky for clear photography.
JEFF PACHOUD/AFP via Getty Images
Filtering the torrent of photos is a global challenge for wire services. For Paris, Getty Images – which has 140 photographers and editors on Olympic duty – switched to a fully remote team editing pictures live from around the world. Over all, it expects to shoot more than 2.5 million photos from the opening to closing ceremonies.
Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
No matter how sophisticated underwater cameras get, capturing the right moments is as much an art as a science for the humans choosing where to shoot. David J. Phillip of Associated Press liked this shot of Japan’s Tomoru Honda, taken with a Sony A1 camera and 16-35mm lens, because ‘the small bit of colour surrounded by splashing water captures your eye and makes his face stand out.’
David J. Phillip/The Associated Press
With a report from Associated Press
Pool party: More Olympic swimming coverage
The Decibel
Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh went to Paris with high expectations, but she had a plan. On The Decibel, Grant Robertson explained how the 17-year-old’s approach paid off and which of her teammates also made it to the podium. Subscribe for more episodes.
