No U.S. speedskater has medaled, including the world's top-ranked skaters, Shani Davis and Heather Richardson. “For the remainder of the Winter Olympic Games, Team USA speedskaters will be wearing the previously-approved Under Armour skin suits used during recent World Cup competition,” Mike Plant, president of US Speedskating, announced in a news release just before dawn Saturday in Sochi. The so-called Mach 39 suits, which Under Armour developed exclusively for the U.S. team in conjunction with Lockheed Martin LMT +1.30% Lockheed Martin Corp. U.S.: NYSE $159.44 +2.05 +1.30% AFTER HOURS $159.44 0.00 0.00% P/E Ratio 17.14 Market Cap $50.25 Billion Dividend Yield 3.34% Rev. The team said it had brought the older uniforms with them to Sochi. After a tense two-hour meeting of team members and staff on Friday afternoon, U.S. Speedskating submitted simultaneous appeals to the IOC and the International Skating Union to be granted the option of changing back to their old suits as early as Saturday. US Speedskating chief executive Ted Morris earlier confirmed an application with the ISU was “in the process,” and its approval would make swapping the suits “an option.” But he said USS is evaluating everything — from athletes' training to their diets — in addition to Under Armour's suits. They're hoping their results are the same: familiar, but new for these Games. But at the same time we want to make sure when our athletes get on that start line they have confidence and are ready to go,” Morris said late Friday after meeting with staff and 17 skaters. By ISU rules, uniforms must be consistent throughout a team, so the new Mach 39 suits are out and the old suits are in for the remainder of the Games. "These guys make F-16 fighter jets," Meek said. “If they can invade Afghanistan and Iraq, they can build a speedskating suit.” Glenview's Brian Hansen, who finished 33rd in the 500 and ninth in the 1,000, said he was frustrated by not being able to try the suit beforehand.
– The US speedskating team is still without a medal after an awful start in Sochi, and the squad hopes it can turn things around by changing suits. The team has officially sought permission from the Olympic powers-that-be to ditch their fancy "Mach 39" suits made by Under Armour and revert to older suits when competition resumes tomorrow, reports the Wall Street Journal. The Mach 39 suits, never before used in competition, were supposed to have a whiz-bang design that would boost speeds, but now many think they're actually slowing the skaters down, reports the Chicago Tribune. The blame-the-suit sentiment apparently isn't unanimous among team members, but if the switch is made, all members would have to abide. The official word from US Speedskating chief Ted Morris avoids blaming Under Armour but suggests the issue is in skaters' heads: “We don’t think (the suits) are having any impact but at the same time we want to make sure when our athletes get on that start line they have confidence and are ready to go." Under Armour, meanwhile, can at least take solace in that it also makes the older suits.