Kate Douglass, a statistics graduate student and the second-fastest swimmer in the world this year in two Olympic swimming events, has always been good with numbers.
But before she enrolled at the University of Virginia, she never considered that swimming itself was a math problem that she could try to solve.
That changed when she realized the concepts she was studying in the classroom could be used in her sport.
These days, Douglass often gets into the pool while wearing a belt that holds an accelerometer, the same device found in smartphones and fitness watches.
So far, so good: On Saturday, she began a busy Olympics schedule by winning a silver medal in the 4x100 freestyle relay.
Persons:
Kate Douglass, Douglass, “ That’s, ”
Organizations:
University of Virginia