How far can athletic performance go?

Increasingly, sports psychologists and coaches work with athletes on goal-setting, visualization and positive thinking. They also work to create the right atmosphere at competition.

“Just as it’s possible to train physically, it’s possible to train mentally,” Van Raalte says. “The end goal is to get an athlete in the ‘zone’ on the day of the event rather than on a random basis.”

Help from high-tech gear
Yet another piece of the puzzle is technology. Over the years, vast improvements in clothing, equipment and facilities have radically changed many sports. High-tech materials used in skis, skin suits, skates and bobsleds has altered dynamics and aerodynamics.

Says Nadine Gelberg, president and founder of Get Charged, a Philadelphia organization that examines sports technology, “The question is: At what point does technology go beyond merely enhancing an athlete’s ability?”

Speed skating is a perfect example. When Heiden competed in the 1980 Olympics, he used a conventional ice skate with a single blade stretching from heel to toe. In 1998, athletes began to use clap skates (so-named because of the sound they make on the ice). The heel of the clap-skate boot separates from the blade as the skater pushes off. This allows the skater to push farther with each leg stroke and skate faster. Combined with indoor tracks and improved skin suits, world records have fallen at an even faster pace.

Gelberg believes that it is essential for governing bodies of various sports to take a hands-on approach to studying and regulating technology. Particularly since some athletes will do anything to win — and cash in on multimillion-dollar endorsements.

Slide show   U.S. Olympic hopefuls A look at athletes who have the best shot at gold in Turin.

“If we continue to improve technology there is no practical limit to what athletes can do,” she says. A future filled with bionic body parts, genetically engineered athletes and overly sophisticated equipment could diminish human achievement and spell doom. “At some point it becomes a spectacle rather than a sport,” Foster adds.

For now, coaches and athletes are working to use leading-edge knowledge and techniques to maximize results. Foster says that the rate of progression for setting records has begun to slow — though it’s anyone’s guess when humans will reach their natural limit.

Shimabukuro, a former skater who works closely with elite athletes, believes that, while some sports may be closer to the limit than others, “We still have a ways to go. Training methods continue to improve, there’s a greater understanding of the mental aspects of sports and athletes continue to push beyond the limits.”

Samuel Greengard is a Portland, Ore.-based writer whose work has appeared in American Way, Wired and the Los Angeles Times. He's competed in eight marathons.

MORE FROM FITNESS

Fitness Section Front

Sports drinks: Do they really help? 6 gifts fit for the gym rat on your list University drops required PE class for obese Can exercise help ward off the swine flu? This holiday, take your diet advice and stuff it Nintendo Wii may provide actual exercise Can working out wear you out? Lack of exercise not to blame for teen obesity? Get fit, faster, with short-burst training Move that muffin top to your chest? Fitness Section Front   Add Fitness headlines to your news reader: