Amusan reignites shoe technology debate after record-breaking display

Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan (right) celebrates after winning the women’s 100m hurdles final during the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. (AFP)

Tobi Amusan’s record-breaking performance in the 100 metres hurdles event at the World Championships on Sunday dragged the spotlight back on shoe technology but the Nigerian said her display had little to do with her footwear. Amusan, who was wearing Adidas Adizero Avanti shoes designed for runners who compete in 5-10km races, cruised to the 100m hurdles gold in what was announced as a world record 12.06 seconds but later ruled ineligible due to excessive wind speed. She had already broken the world record earlier in the day by running 12.12 in her semi-final at Hayward Field. “My abilities are not centred around spikes,” Amusan told The Guardian, revealing that she had hit upon the idea to use customised shoes with bouncy foam due to an injury. “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,” Amusan said. “They recommended a lot of stuff and I feel comfortable in that, so I was using them basically the entire time.” Shoe technology has come into focus since records started tumbling last year, with governing body World Athletics trying to draw a line between innovation and giving athletes an unfair advantage. Current regulations allow for shoes to have a maximum thickness of between 20-25mm depending on the event, while they can go up to 40mm for road races. Sprint spikes cannot have soles that are thicker than 20mm, which is the same as the shoes Amusan was wearing on Sunday. Sole thicknesses for all athletic shoes in track and field events will be simplified to a stack height of 20mm from Nov 1, 2024, World Athletics said in December. Amusan recovered from a slightly slower start to put on a pristine performance over the barriers,.17 seconds clear of silver medallist Britany Anderson of Jamaica. “The goal was to come out and to win this gold,” said Amusan. “I believe in my abilities but I was not expecting a world record at these championships. You know, the goal is always just to execute well and get the win. So the world record is a bonus.” Puerto Rico’s Olympic champion Camacho-Quinn accelerated at the midway mark but lost a close battle with Anderson over the final strides after hitting the last hurdle, going home with bronze in her first World Championships. Anderson said she was pleased with her performance, despite clipping some hurdles. “I feel like everyone is so excited now,” she said.”I came out here to do what I had to do and I did it.” The final was without 2019 champion Nia Ali and medal contender Alaysha Johnson, both of the United States, after they hit hurdles and crashed out in the opening round. The United States’ Olympic silver medallist Kendra Harrison, whose 2016 record Amusan broke in the semi-final, was disqualified. ‘Unique’ Eugene hosted truly global World Championships World Athletics said on Sunday that more countries than ever were represented in the finals of events at Eugene, the smallest city to host the biennial global meet. Prior to Sunday’s final session, the sport’s governing body said a record 79 countries had finalists during the 10-day event, up from 76 in Doha three years ago. Liberia, Niger, Pakistan and Samoa had athletes in a final for the first time. With roughly 175,000 residents, according to the most recent US Census, Eugene, Oregon is far smaller than past hosts, most recently Doha, with a population of more than 2mn, and London, with approximately 9mn. More than 1,700 athletes represented 179 countries and the Athlete Refugee Team in total at the meet, and Renee Washington, chief operating officer of USA Track & Field, said she was delighted with the global reach of the event. “I was — and I continue to be even today — pleasantly surprised by the way the world embraced this very small community,” Washington told reporters on Sunday. “This is a unique community in a unique part of the United States.” Moved back by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the meet was held on US soil for the first time, a move designed in part to help grow an American audience in a crowded sports market where the landscape is dominated by main four men’s professional leagues — NFL, NHL, NBA and MLB. Early crowds at the 15,000 capacity Hayward Field were thinner than the hosts may have hoped for but the World Championships managed to sell out the last session on Sunday, with Nigerian Tobi Amusan breaking the women’s 100 metres hurdles world record in the semi-final.