3D portable measurement technologies and 3D engineering services company Creaform was on edge watching the Olympics recently. That’s because the firm has a special connection to one of the athletes: elite kayaker Jessica Fox.
Eighteen-year-old Australian sensation Jessica Fox won silver in the slalom K1 race at the London 2012 Olympic Games, while Gilles Lamiré took the second rank in the 2012 Québec-Saint-Malo transat aboard the Défi Saint-Malo Agglo 60-foot trimaran sailboat.
As part of Creaform’s 2012 Put Us to the Test contest, the firm’s 3D Engineering Services
team has been involved with Australian Institute of Sport to carry out a pre-Olympics project to improve their slalom kayak team’s apparel. Application engineer Sébastien Dubois flew to the AIS and helped scan Jessica’s lower body while in paddling position as well as her kayak, so to develop a customized seat that would perfectly fit her body and racing position. Did that seat make a difference and help boost Jessica’s already amazing talent and power? Well, Creaform certainly hopes so.
In another event, aboard Creaform’s sponsored Défi-Saint-Malo Agglo Formula 1 trimaran was Creaform’s founding president and CTO, Charles Mony. So the company takes great pride in the sailboat’s second rank after fighting an epic battle and an exhilarating finish against its closest rival, Vers un Monde sans Sida, under the command of skipper Gilles Lamiré and his crew.
Just after docking the trimaran, Gilles Lamiré said: “The finish was incredible. I just couldn’t believe that we would get second place after so many ups and downs. At some point, we were 200 miles behind Vers un Monde sans Sida, and we also faced fierce winds that were blowing the boat at 50-knot. All in all, this race was no piece of cake, and it does feel like we are champions today. What I like the most is to share my love for the sea and today is just over the top for me.”