“My abilities are not centered around spikes” Tobi Amusan clarifies shoe technology controversy after record-breaking display at World C’ships
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Tobi Amusan
Tobi Amusan’s world-record-breaking performance in the 100-meter hurdles race at the World Championships on Sunday brought attention back to shoe technology, although the Nigerian claimed her feat had little to do with her shoes.
Since records began to fall last year, shoe technology has gained attention, and World Athletics, the sport’s governing body, is attempting to draw a distinction between innovation and giving competitors an unfair edge. “My abilities are not centered around spikes,” Amusan told to The Guardian that she had come up with the idea to utilize specialized shoes with springy foam as a result of an injury.
Tobi Amusan Talks About her shoes
Tobi Amusan, who was running in Adidas Adizero Avanti shoes intended for 5-10 km runs, easily won the 100m hurdles gold in what was initially reported as a world record of 12.06 seconds but was later ruled ineligible owing to excessive wind speed. By racing 12.12 in her semifinal at Hayward Field earlier in the day, she had already smashed the world record.
“I had patella fasciitis at the beginning of the season so that set me back for a while. I spoke to Adidas and requested if I could get spikes with a softer sole,” said Amusan. “They recommended a lot of stuff and I feel comfortable in that, so I was using them basically the entire time.”
Depending on the event, current regulations allow shoes to have a maximum thickness of 20–25mm; however, road races enable shoes to have a maximum thickness of 40mm.
The maximum sole thickness for sprint spikes is 20mm, which is the same as the thickness of the shoes Amusan was sporting on Sunday.
According to a December statement from World Athletics, the standard sole thickness for all athletic shoes used in track and field competitions would be reduced to 20mm starting on November 1, 2024.
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