World Athletics’ new rules pertaining to the shoes to be used in competitions have cleared Nike’s controversial Vaporfly variants but the prototypes used by Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge to complete a marathon in under two hours will not be allowed in competition from April 30, 2020.
The technology used in the shoes had come under the scanner as expert felt it gave undue advantage to the runners after Kipchoge broke the two-hour barrier on October 12 in Vienna and compatriot Brigit Kosgei shaved 81 seconds of the women’s world record a day later.
World Athletics issued revised guidelines for shoes and other equipment last month after studying the technology used in these shoes and has ruled that any shoe with a 40mm or less sole and only one springlike shank will be allowed in competition.
According to website hypebeast.com, the Vaporfly versions available in the market falls under the accepted range. “Inside of Nike’s Vaporfly sneaker outsole is a single carbon fiber plate, or shank, that ensures extra propulsion. Thus, under the tenets of the IAAF’s new standard, Kosgei’s preferred Vaporfly Next% will remain legal, while shoes like Kipchoge’s prototype runner will no longer be allowed,” the report said.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe insisted that the regulations were not aimed at regulating the entire sports shoe market but to preserve the integrity of elite competitions by ensuring that athletes do not get unfair assistance or advantage.
“As we enter the Olympic year, we don’t believe we can rule out shoes that have been generally available for a considerable period of time, but we can draw a line by prohibiting the use of shoes that go further than what is currently on the market while we investigate further,” he was quoted as saying by runnersworld.com.
The world body has also ruled that no shoe which has been introduced in the market after April 30 and is not easily available for purchase for at least four months will be treated as a prototype and won’t be allowed in competitions.