Current Events > gold medal winner not fan of "super spikes" (track & field shoes)

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Norways Karsten Warholm world-record 400-meter hurdles run at the Tokyo Olympics failed to suffice the track star.

Warholm took issue with the type of shoe United States runner Rai Benjamin was wearing during the Olympics. Benjamin was wearing the Nike Air Zoom Dragonflys. The sneaker comes with a thick slab of Pebax foam. According to the UK Independent, the shoes are thought to add about 1-3 seconds per mile to a runners mark.

Warholm slammed the shoes as "bullshit" and alleged they affect the runners credibility, The Guardian reported.

"I dont see why you should put anything beneath a sprinting shoe," he said Wednesday. "In middle distance I can understand it because of the cushioning. If you want cushioning, you can put a mattress there. But if you put a trampoline I think its bullst, and I think it takes credibility away from our sport."

He narrowly beat Benjamin to claim the gold medal and set the new mark. He crossed the line at 45.94. Brazils Alison dos Santos won the bronze medal. Warholm beat his old mark by 0.76 seconds. He had just set the record last month.

It was Warholms first Olympics medal. He had won gold medals in the World Championships, European Championships and European Indoor Championships before taking his talents to Tokyo.

He suggested its not just the track that is helping runners sprint faster. Benjamin disagreed and credited the track with his impressive time.

"Ive always said that the perfect race doesnt exist. But this is the closest I think Ive come to a perfect race," Benjamin said.

Warholm did craft his own personal shoe with Puma and the Mercedes Formula One team but that is totally different, he said.

"Yes, we have the carbon plate. But we have tried to make it as thin as possible. Because that is the way I would like to do it. Of course technology will always be there. But I also want to keep it down to a level where we can compare results because that is important."

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe was unsure whether the track shoes will really make a major difference. Like Benjamin, Coe credited the track with the quick time and not the shoe.

"I just think we are in a world of innovation. I dont want to strangle the innovation that shoe companies our manufacturers are bringing to the table," he said, via The Scotsman. "There is a balance of course there is a balance. Weve got a system that evaluates the shoes.

"The principle Ive always tried to maintain is a level playing field and I think were going to get to the point where there isnt a massive advantage in whatever brand you wear."

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/karsten-warholm-shoe-tech-olympics

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greek style nude olympics, only way to ensure fairness

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as long as they have something to hold their junk in place

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The guy won, take your gold and go home.

I know spikes are a big deal in track (and have a nasty scar to prove it) but complaining the 2nd place guy's spikes pushed you hard is going to fall on deaf ears.

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brestugo posted...

The guy won, take your gold and go home.

I know spikes are a big deal in track (and have a nasty scar to prove it) but complaining the 2nd place guy's spikes pushed you hard is going to fall on deaf ears.

Especially when you have your own custom designed shoe that you insist is totally different than their custom designed to shoe.


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s0nicfan posted...

Especially when you have your own custom designed shoe that you insist is totally different than their custom designed to shoe.

I honestly have never heard a complaint like the 'gold medal winner' is making here.

You fucking won, and are complaining your opponent made it tougher because of his spikes?

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if anything, a gold medal winner complaining that a silver medal winner had an advantage makes more sense than listening to a bronze winner supposedly whining that they can't win

at least we can't "git gud" this guy, and maybe he knows what he's talking about since he did win anyway

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brestugo posted...

You fucking won, and are complaining your opponent made it tougher because of his spikes?

I mean the spikes and weight of the shoe matter a lot, I say this as someone that ran track and cross country in HS and I remember how much time I shaved off my various distances once I upgraded my shoes sophomore year.

I think despite winning he's essentially saying there needs to be some kind of standard so competitors are competing on the basis of their own talents and not by their equipment, since some competitors might be sponsored by a better company and therefore get better equipment. I think it's a valid argument, and probably better for him to say it after winning so people can't just write off his argument as sour grapes.

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WaterLink posted...

I mean the spikes and weight of the shoe matter a lot, I say this as someone that ran track and cross country in HS and I remember how much time I shaved off my various distances once I upgraded my shoes sophomore year.

I think despite winning he's essentially saying there needs to be some kind of standard so competitors are competing on the basis of their own talents and not by their equipment, since some competitors might be sponsored by a better company and therefore get better equipment. I think it's a valid argument, and probably better for him to say it after winning so people can't just write off his argument as sour grapes.

I ran track too. And have a nasty scar for choosing the wrong spikes, the wrong day on a 4X100 relay (near where Tiger Woods broke his legs btw - Chadwick school).

On topic: there are standards, AFAIK everyone followed them. One guy is bitching.

This is like a golfer saying his/her competitor made it tougher for using the "wrong" club to hit a tough shot.

The spikes used were legal. You won. Go the fuck home and open a bar or whatever.

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one more

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