TOKYO 2020: Records being overtaken left and right - because of the surface?

A series of extraordinary times at the Olympics rapid track got everyone thinking - is there anything behind the great results apart from the athlete's efforts? Well, there is.

Norway’s Karsten Warholm smashed his own 400m hurdles world record by more than 0.7sec on Tuesday, which is the latest example of a blistering run at the Olympic Stadium.

Earler, Puerto Rican Jasmine Camacho-Quinn in the 100m hurdles and Elaine Thompson-Herah on her way to 100m gold - recorded Olympic records.

Kyron McMaster of British Virgin Islands, who ran with the above mentioned Norwegian and finished fourth in the 400m hurdles, described the surface experience as like ‘running on air’.

TOKYO 2020: Kimeli to carry Kenya’s hope for a medal in 5000m

Andrea Vallauri, member of the team behind the track’s creation, advised that minimal changes to the materials used to make the tracks should not be frowned upon.

‘What you are seeing is evolution. Clearly every time there is an Olympic Games we try to improve the formulation of the material, and Tokyo has been no different.

‘We have tried to improve by adding an extra compound. The track is very thin - 14mm. But we have added these rubber granules. How best to describe it: in the lower layer of the track is this hexagonal design that creates these small pockets of air.

'They not only provide shock absorption but give some energy return; at the same time a trampoline effect. We have improved this combination and this is why we are seeing the track has improved performance.

TOKYO 2020: 'Maniac' Warholm wins 400m hurdles gold, smashes world record

‘In Rio (in 2016) the track was called WS. This new one is called WSTY, for Tokyo. It’s the latest evolution of the track.

‘It is completely within the rules but it is also what we were asked to provide; two components.

'To protect the health of the athletes, to avoid trauma, but it should also give them a push, let me say it like that.

‘In lab testing we can see the improvement. It is difficult to say exactly but maybe a one or two per cent advantage.

‘It is all prefabricated so every lane is the same, and the run-ups for the long and triple jumps also. The production is the same as a Formula One tyre.’

TOKYO 2020: Simiu braced for Olympics 5000m challenge

Generating ‘one or two per cent’ improvements in performances applies to all that compete - at these Games. As much as it is good to improve the circumstances for the athletes - it does not seem fair towards the former record holders who earned their respective number without the help of the 'trampoline effect'.