Nike Air Fly Trainers Banned From The Tokyo 2020 Olympics
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— Updated on 15 June 2021

Nike Air Fly Trainers Banned From The Tokyo 2020 Olympics

— Updated on 15 June 2021
Garry Lu
WORDS BY
Garry Lu

The Nike Air Fly prototype trainers worn by Eliud Kipchoge when he shattered the two-hour marathon record have officially been banned from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The renowned Vaporfly range, however, has been deemed acceptable.

The decision has been made official based on the revised guidelines from the international governing body. As it so happens, the Air Fly prototype provides too much of a performance advantage with its chunkier sole and triple carbon-fibre plates. 

In light of this, Nike is reportedly in the process of amending the Alpha Fly design ahead of its scheduled March release. The current objective is to make it competition legal before the Olympics, thereby avoiding what would be a major loss in terms of brand publicity and product marketing. But as previously stated, the rest of the Vaporfly range remain soundly compliant with the stipulations of World Athletics’ revised technical rules.

In 2019, The Guardian revealed that 31 of the 36 podium positions the top world marathon majors were won by athletes wearing Nike Vaporfly shoes. So for those of you still in doubt about how much of an advantage Vaporfly trainers provide, keep this little stat in mind.

RELATED: What It Actually Took To Break The Sub-2-Hour Marathon Record

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Garry Lu
WORDS by
After stretching his legs with companies such as The Motley Fool and the odd marketing agency, Garry joined Boss Hunting in 2019 as a fully-fledged Content Specialist. In 2021, he was promoted to News Editor. Garry proudly retains a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, black bruises from Muay Thai, as well as a black belt in all things pop culture. Drop him a line at [email protected]

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