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"Team USA's speed skating contingent has had an awful trip to Sochi, Russia, for the 2014 Winter Olympics so far. Shani Davis, the gold medal favorite in the men's 1,000-meter race on Wednesday, was supposed to become the first speed skater to win that event in three straight Olympics. Instead, he finished eighth. A day later, Heather Richardson and Brittany Bowe  \u2014 the world's top-ranked female skaters at their distance \u2014 failed to medal in the women's 1,000-meter race. \nThe rash of unexpected failure prompted a search for answers among Team USA athletes, fans and the media. On Wednesday, a Wall Street Journal article seemed to nail the problem. The Americans, apparently, blamed their poor performance on a design flaw in the high-tech uniforms that team sponsor Under Armour produced for the games. \nThe entire mess has been a major black eye for Under Armour \u2014 but on Friday, it may have been resolved for good.\nSee also: U.S. Olympians Snap Amazing Creeper Selfies With Vladimir Putin\nThe Under Armour uniforms are to blame because, sources said, vents on the backs of the skintight suits meant to let body heat escape actually backfired. Instead of just letting heat out, allegedly, the vents let air in, to create a slight drag effect. \nThat effect could be a critical handicap in a sport where just one-hundredth of a second can make the difference between the eternal glory of an Olympic medal and the lifelong anonymity of a fourth-place finisher. \nThe suits, designed with help from Lockheed Martin, were hyped before the games as if they were legal performance enhancers. But, the Journal reported, \"One skater said team members felt they were fighting the suit to maintain correct form.\" Under Armour was in the awkward position of either defending its product or publicly bickering with a major marketing partner \u2014 one wearing the American flag, no less \u2014 on one of the world's biggest stages. \nEarly Friday, the company released this statement from SVP of Innovation Kevin Haley: \nUnder Armour will continue to partner with USA Speed Skating throughout the Sochi competition to help ensure these incredible athletes are best positioned to skate with confidence and capture a spot on the podium. We are committed to providing Team USA with the best possible gear, and Mach 39 is the most scientifically advanced and rigorously tested suit ever featured in Olympic competition. While a multitude of factors ultimately determine on-ice success, many skaters have posted personal-best sea-level heat times, split times or race times this week, and we\u2019re rooting for that to translate into medals over these next couple of days.\n\nShani Davis of the U.S. skates in the prototype of the official US Speedskating suit during a training session at the Adler Arena Skating Center at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 14, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. Image: Matt Dunham/Associated PressA few hours later, speed skating team members requested to wear their old uniforms \u2014 an Under Armour suit that came before the flap-filled models \u2014 for the rest of the Olympics. \nBut that created a whole new mess. According to another subsequent Journal report, the speed skating team is actually split between athletes who favor the new suits and athletes who want to go back to the old ones. \nInternational Olympic Committee Rules, however, state that all members of a given team must wear the same exact uniforms, meaning American skaters can't just wear whichever suit they prefer unless some sort of official exemption is made. \nAt time of this writing, there had been no final resolution to the speed skating suits' troubled saga. An unconfirmed ESPN report said the team ultimately agreed to scrap the new duds for the old ones. \nWhat is undeniable is that the American team is winless in six races. Not one of its members has finished higher than seventh so far. The men's 1,500-meter race \u2014 where Davis can redeem himself \u2014 is Saturday, with three more races to follow in the ensuing days. \nNo matter what happens, someone's likely to come out looking bad. If the U.S. keeps the new suits and continues losing, Under Armour will be dragged through more mud. If the U.S. changes suits and keeps losing, they'll have no one else to blame. \nThe only ideal outcome would be if the Americans keep the new Under Armour suits and somehow turn their performance around. But that seems unlikely. On Valentine's day of all days, the long-term relationship between Under Armour and US Speedskating seems in jeopardy. \n\n\nFaces of Failure\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTeam USA waits for their silver medals after losing in overtime to Canada in the women's hockey final.\n\nImage: AP Photo/David Goldman/Associated Press\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nShaun White, the prohibitive favorite of the men's snowboarding halfpipe event, ended up in fourth place.\n\nImage: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJan Smeekens of the Netherlands loses the men's 500m speedskate gold medal by .01 seconds.\n\nImage: David J. Phillip/Associated Press\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSho Endo of Japan was eliminated from the men's moguls finals on Feb. 10, 2014.\n\nImage: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSanne van Kerkhof of the Netherlands Sanne van Kerkhof of the Netherlands watches her opponents whiz by after she crashes in the women's 3,000m relay.\n\nImage: Ivan Sekretarev/Associated Press\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDaniel Greig of Australia looks dejected after falling onto the ice at the start of the men's 500m speed skating race.\n\nImage: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGermany's Viona Harrer of Germany let in four goals against Russia in round one.\n\nImage: Matt Slocum/Associated Press\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSouth Korea's Mo Tae-bum narrowly lost to three Dutchmen in the men's 500m speed skate.\n\nImage: Matt Dunham/Associated Press\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRussia's Anton Gafarov reacts after falling in the men's cross-country skiing individual sprint free semifinals.\n\nImage: ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJack Whelbourne of Great Britain falls during the men's short track 1,500m final.\n\nImage: YURI KADOBNOV/AFP/Getty Images\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAmerican Shani Davis placed 24th in the men's 500m speed skate.\n\nImage: Matt Dunham/Associated Press\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRussia's Anton Gafarov falls in the men's cross-country skiing individual sprint free semifinals.\n\nImage: PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/AFP/Getty Images\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRussia's Anton Gafarov reacts after falling in the men's cross-country skiing individual sprint free semifinals.\n\nImage: ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGermany's Judith Hesse is disqualified from the women's speed skating 500m race.\n\nImage: JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRussia's Anna Mirtova of Russia walks with her skis after a fall in the freestyle skiing women's ski slopestyle qualification.\n\nImage: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGermany's Andrea Henkel placed 29th in the women's biathlon 10k pursuit.\n\nImage: Harry How/Getty Images\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAmerican Julia Mancuso placed eighth in the women's alpine skiing downhill.\n\nImage: ALEXANDER KLEIN/AFP/Getty Images\n\n\n\n\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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