Every year, athletes set new world records. But are today’s champions really superior to legends of the past? Or are they only faster because their equipment is more high-tech? To find out, renowned sports scientist Steve Haake meets five top athletes, and challenges them to beat the world records of athletic legends while using old-school gear.

Haake examines the variables that go into their winning performance for each athlete and he explores variables such as: enhanced athletic gear, training, nutrition and psychology. Then, for the first time ever, Haake equalizes the playing field and challenges them to compete against a legendary athlete using equipment from a bygone era.

Sprinter Andre De Grasse attempts to beat the world record of the legendary Jesse Owens

Sarah Hammer rides a 1960s-era bike to compete against legendary British cyclist Beryl Burton

Paul Biedermann trades his full-body swimsuit for a 1970s-era Speedo to compete against nine-time Olympic Champion Mark Spitz

Christina Obergföll throws a 1980s-era javelin to compete against 1980s world record holder Fatima Whitbread.

Canadian kayaker Adam van Koeverden trades his carbon fibre kayak for a vintage wooden model to challenge 1940s-era Swedish Olympic legend Gert Fredriksson.

In every event, the winner is impossible to predict. Taken together, the matchups reveal the effect of technological advances on performance, and something shared by athletes of every era: the innate human drive to win.