Every four years, like clockwork, several things will happen. I will lament the fact I still don’t have a mortgage. I will contemplate a career change and, for a few feverish moments, seriously believe that I have what it takes to be a human rights lawyer. And I will also zone into niche Olympic sports. I will say things like “great technique” or “she’s a real wildcard in this round” despite knowing absolutely nothing about how one wins at whipping around a ribbon on a stick.
The time has come again. After Paris’s damp and laborious opening ceremony (legend has it that the Beyoncé rip-off mechanical horse is still cantering down the Seine), the first fringe event was streaming live and direct to my living room: the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team match-up. Cue equal parts confusion and a delusional “Oh, I could do that, easy.”
But while there is much magic in firing at targets with rifles that look like a Fortnite add-on pack, the fits fired off even harder—like those of Team China’s Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao. The duo, who just outgunned South Korea for the gold, took to the line-up procession in matching yellow-and-red fits that were weird and futuristic and quite ascendant London fashion designer all at once. Their opponents all mirrored the same fit in shades of black and blue.
Huang Yuting (left) and Sheng Lihao of Team China.VCG/Getty Images
In a 2022 NBC news segment, US gold medalist Ginny Thrasher talked through the sci-fi-ness of it all, saying: “Just like with figure skates where the boots are custom molded to each athlete’s foot, our suits are designed specifically for us… They’re very cool because they’re made of a weird stiff leather material, they’re actually really heavy, but the whole purpose of them is to help you be more still, more consistent, more accurate.” The result is something completely alien, with bright-colored patches sewn together in a jacket and trousers with a kick to the hem. It’s quite patchwork, and club kid, and intergalactic mercenary cadet. And, most importantly, it’s a far-cry from the free-flowing and fitted sports kits of the big events. We expect tiny shorts from the sprinters. We expect vests from the log-armed hammer throwers. But we don’t really expect this sort of kit at the Olympics.
