Performance boost
Athletic footwear brands have been competing to design the fastest running shoes for decades, but Nike upped the ante in 2017 when it debuted the Vaporfly, its first commercial running shoe incorporating a carbon-fiber plate in the midsole. Later versions of the shoe then combined the carbon-fiber plate with a thick sole containing air pockets for maximum energy return. Rival athletic brands have since caught up with Nike, notably Adidas with its Adizero Pro Evo meant to be worn only for a single marathon. As World Athletics regulation prevents athletes from running with the most innovative shoes and super shoes remain expensive to produce, the next leg of innovation might well focus on production. Indeed, on the eve of the Olympics, Swiss athletic footwear brand On unveiled its LightSpray technology, a 3-min manufacturing step during which a robotic arm sprays thermoplastic material onto a mold, creating an ultra-light one-piece shoe upper with no laces.
Source: Financial Times, World Athletics, July 2024.