INDIANAPOLIS, June 28, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- U.S. Paralympic track and field athletes hoping to compete in the London 2012 Paralympic Games will first have to make it through the Paralympic Team Trials at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, June 29-July 1. The competitors vying for slots on Team USA will have a world-class surface underfoot—a Super X Performance track. Made by Mondo, the global leader in the sport flooring market, the Super X Performance track is recognized globally as one of the fastest, most durable and environmentally safest tracks available.
Located on the IUPUI campus and celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the Michael A. Carroll Track and Soccer Stadium also has Super X Performance surfaces on its long jump and triple jump running lanes.
Cathy Sellers, the U.S. Paralympics team's high performance director, says the Mondo surface is particularly beneficial for wheelchair athletes. "The Mondo track creates less resistance to the tires than other tracks, which helps the athletes achieve faster times and compete at their highest level," she said. "They notice that their times are better on Mondo tracks."
A maximum of 80 track and field athletes from each nation may qualify for the London Paralympic Games, and to earn a spot, competitors must beat the minimum qualifying standard in their events. So the Paralympic qualifying standards increase the importance of having a track that enables athletes to post their fastest times. "Their times determine how many athletes we can take," Sellers says. "The more athletes who post qualifying times, the more slots we get to fill, so it is imperative to hold the event on the fastest track we can. The Mondo track provides that for us."
The top athletes from the Paralympic Team Trials will represent the United States at the 2012 Paralympic Games, Aug. 29-Sept. 9, in London, where they will compete on another Mondo surface: Mondotrack, the competition track of the London Olympics.
About Mondo's Tracks
Renowned for its shock absorption and optimal energy return, Mondo's Super X Performance track provides consistent performance throughout its life and minimizes the occurrence of injuries. The high-performance rubber surface was an official track of eight Olympic Games through 2004.
Mondotrack provides the optimum blend of speed, safety and comfort for high-speed competition and training. It helps athletes run faster compared to other surfaces. Five world records were set on the Mondotrack at the 2008 Beijing Games.
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 past nine Olympic Games and the upcoming 2012 London Olympics, 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.
Mondo and Mondotrack are registered trademarks of Mondo.
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