A pair of groundbreaking running shoes released by sportswear giant Nike is now currently under investigation because athletes who've been wearing them have been breaking records left, right and center.
Nike released the ZoomX Vaporfly earlier this year, and with such launches, you can expect some over-the-top marketing campaigns and taglines to attract customers.
This particular shoe promises that it's “a racing shoe that breaks records”, and we wouldn't blame you if you just laugh that off.
However, something extraordinary has been happening to the athletes who've been wear-testing the shoes, especially professional runners.
Just like what the shoes promised to do, some professional runners who wore the shoes have actually been breaking long-standing records!
According to a report by Hypebeast, quoting The Times, since the Vaporfly’s initial launch back in 2016, “Dennis Kimetto’s 2014 world record of 2:02:57 has been bettered on five occasions, each time by an athlete wearing the shoe.”
Not only that, it was reported that Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge wore a special prototype of the Vaporfly when he became the first person to run a sub-two-hour marathon.
Fellow Kenyan long distance runner Brigid Kosgei also broke the women’s world record the next day, wearing the same pair of shoes.
Due to this, many professional athletes have reportedly complained to the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and the Athletics Integrity Unit for them to examine the shoes to see if indeed provides runners with an unfair advantage.
“Recent advances in technology mean that the concept of ‘assistance’ to athletes has been the subject of much debate in the athletics world
"The IAAF has established a working group to consider the issues,” IAAF said in a statement quoted by Hypebeast.
The initial Vaporfly range had a full-length carbon fiber plate embedded in its foam midsole to increase propulsion, and the ZoomX Vaporfly Next% maintained it.
Guys, time to get this pair of shoes in case you need extra speed to chase the train or bus!