The Telegraph
Nike ‘super shoe’ controversy grows after two athletes set personal bests with new long jump prototype
Controversy around Nike’s ‘super shoe’ technology looks set to grow after a new long jump prototype helped two athletes set personal bests at the European Indoor Championships this weekend. After years of falling marathon and half-marathon times since Nike released its revolutionary Vaporfly 4% shoe, attention has recently turned to the track with a number of middle- and long-distance athletes smashing records in new Nike spikes. One shoe company executive told Telegraph Sport the next couple of years will “be mayhem” with records falling regularly in those disciplines. Now, for the first time, Nike’s shoe technology looks to have been harnessed for long jumpers, with Sweden’s Thobias Montler and Belgium’s Nafi Thiam both wearing eye-catching spikes featuring what appears to be a separate orange forefoot plate while competing at the European Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland.