LONDON, Aug. 28, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- After a spectacular Olympic Games, more than 4,000 of the world's best disabled athletes are converging in London to take part in 2012 Paralympic Games from Aug. 29 through Sept. 9. Helping the track and field athletes to perform their best will be Mondotrack, the state-of-the-art track at London's Olympic Stadium and the competition surface of the 2012 Olympic Games.
Mondotrack is the newest track surface by Mondo, the global leader in the sport flooring market. Three world records*, four Olympic records, 64 national records, and a multitude of personal and season bests were set on Mondotrack during the Olympic Games.
"Throughout the Olympic track and field competition, Mondotrack was praised for being very fast. It even was described as a 'magic carpet,'" said Federico Stroppiana, CEO, Mondo Group. "Numerous records were set on the track during those Games, so we fully expect to see more amazing performances by the Paralympic athletes."
Mondo also provided flooring and equipment for a total of 18 Olympic and Paralympic events, from table tennis to wheelchair basketball.
The Paralympics are the world's largest multinational sporting event for disabled athletes. The U.S. is fielding a team of 227 athletes, including 58 in track and field.
"All we have to do is look at the results from the Olympics Games to know that the Mondotrack surface is going to be fast," said Cathy Sellers, the U.S. Paralympics team's high performance director. "We are looking forward to our chance to race on it."
Mondotrack builds on the success of Mondo's world-renowned Super X Performance track, which was the world's top track for more than 30 years and was an official track of eight Olympic Games through 2004. Designed for superior athletic performance, Mondotrack provides optimal traction and a greater contact area than other tracks. It converts the maximum amount of force generated by athletes' foot strikes to energy for maximum energy return, which helps athletes achieve faster times compared to running on other surfaces. More than 230 world records have been set on tracks made by Mondo, including five at the 2008 Olympics and three at the London Games.
"We develop tracks that are both soft and fast, which results in surfaces that provide the optimum blend of comfort and speed," said Stroppiana. "This makes them ideal for both training and high-speed competition and results in record-breaking athletic performances."
About Mondo
Mondo is the global leader in the track and field, indoor sport and contract flooring markets, manufacturing rubber flooring surfaces for virtually every application. More than 1,100 Mondo tracks and 800 Mondo artificial turf fields are installed worldwide. An official supplier of athletic tracks for the 2012 London Olympics and the previous nine Olympic Games, Mondo also is the official supplier or official sponsor of more than 100 sports federations and associations.
The company supplies a wide variety of commercial rubber flooring and manufactures luxury yachts under its Mondo Marine division.
A family-owned business since its founding in 1948, Mondo sells its products in more than 196 countries. The company's global headquarters are in Italy, and it has manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and Asia. For news updates, the latest on Mondo products and events, and the company's latest sport flooring installations, visit mondoworldwide.com and like Mondo America's Facebook page and the Mondotrack Facebook page.
*All world records are subject to ratification procedures.
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