Nike has recently launched its controversial new Vaporfly show that is so good it was originally banned by the World Athletic Championships. But in what is a win for the shoe company, Nike’s controversial Vaporfly sneaker will be permitted during the Tokyo Olympics and the World Atheletic Chmapionships has amended the rules to allow athletes to wear them as well.
The New York Times reports that: “World Athletics has said that starting on April 30, elite runners cannot run in prototype shoes that had not been available for any competitor to buy on the open market for at least four months, and footwear must meet certain design specifications. The sole cannot be thicker than 40 millimeters and there cannot be more than one springlike shank in the sole.”
So how good is the shoe?
In 2019, 31 of the 36 podium positions in the six world marathon majors were won by elite athletes wearing Vaporfly, as reported by the Guardian. Both independent and Nike studies have revealed that the Vaporfly improves energy efficiency of running by at least 4 per cent.
Eliud Kipchoge, who broke the men’s world record during the 2018 Berlin marathon, donned a Vaporfly prototype called the AlphaFly in October when he ran the first sub-2-hour marathon ever.
