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) Y5 s- G3 S( PTable Tennis
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- A/ c6 k6 o' {& wEspeciallyimportant, given the Chinese love of the sport. Adidas tried for a shoelight enough to let the player fly comfortably through the air butstable enough to provide support on landing, says Adidas team leaderKlaus Tomczak; otherwise, the Achilles tendon is at risk. Adidasadapted a bottom from sturdy models used for high-impact futsal, aversion of indoor soccer popular in South America, and added cushioningand an extremely light top part made from a synthetic mesh, maximizingventilation. $100. A close relative, Nike's badminton shoe ($90),employs LunarLite foam, which the company says is 26% lighter thanstandard foam and is used to cushion impacts.
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I J. H! Q; C7 |8 EEquestrian 骑马手
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$ h: h3 J2 s, {9 F; P" ~/ L* z2 `3 DWhenNike decided to create a new shoe for horse riders, it realized theboot had hardly changed since the Wild West days, says Sean McDowell,Nike's Olympic footwear director. Equestrians had "learned to live withuncomfortable boots," he says. "Typical hot heavy leather takes twopeople and about 20 minutes to get each equestrian boot on." Nike'scurved zipper peels open the boot when unzipped, allowing the foot toeasily slide in. As for "cumbersome" traditional spurs, Nike created asystem to mount the spurs that took cues from receptacles for trackspikes, Mr. McDowell says. $450.
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& I* R5 d0 h5 _Boxing
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- z2 v5 g1 `% l+ tAtAdidas, a "bird's nest" synthetic mesh wraps around the whole shoe,preventing it from becoming water-logged from sweat and weighing downthe boxer as the rounds wear on. The 42-year-old Mr. Tomczak, who wearshis long hair in a pony tail and cut his teeth on college designs forcars and sailboats, has a warning: If it's raining, don't wear such ahole-filled shoe outside: "You would risk getting wet feet." $200.
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; H8 u, M, p% jBasketball
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Weight'sa key concern here, too. Nike's "flywire" replaces bulky supportmaterial in the upper part of a sneaker with high-tech, hard-to-breakthreads that hold the foot to the shoe much like suspension cables holdup a modern day bridge, Mr. McDowell says. Nike is also using "lunar"foam in this shoe, and sees potential for the foam in other lines. $110.
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Wrestling
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/ m) p9 ^) Z) m! n hThechallenge is to create a shoe that's "almost slippery'' to anopponent's grapple while providing sufficient grip on the mat, says Mr.Tomczak. Adidas narrowed the shoe so it fits more like a sock. Equallyimportant, the shoe has a zipper over the laces and a protective tapeover the zipper. In past contests, some wrestlers would try to untietheir own laces or those of rivals if they found themselves in dangerof losing. Under wrestling rules, combatants often must return tostarting positions when a shoelace is untied. $150.
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Fordecades, the heel of a weightlifting shoe was supported by wood. Adidasdeveloped a synthetic material that it said was stronger and lighterthan wood—then showed it to weighlifters. "They said, 'We want wood,'"says Mr. Tomczak. "It's purely psychological. It gives themconfidence." The new shoe has a big piece of wood in the heel. $200.
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: w8 Q5 u. S9 bFencerstend to tear shoes apart, since they must drag their back feet acrossabrasive flooring during lunges, says Mr. McDowell. Nike reinforced theshoe with notched wraps to reduce wear and added breathable mesh on thetop of the shoe to make it lighter and more comfortable ($150). Adidasuses a special-coated leather on the inside heel for extra protection,replacing a ceramic-coated synthetic fiber that Mr. Tomczak says"started melting" when fencers dragged their shoes. Padding protectsagainst skewerings, and laces are secured so that an opponent's bladecan't get stuck under them. If you get hit in the shin, "it mighthurt," says Mr. Tomczak, so Adidas reinforced its socks to blunt asword's impact. Shoe: $200.
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. e# i6 v- d) O" pRowing/Kayaking/Swimming
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Boatmakers, when they sell a boat, traditionally provide the shoes, whichare attached to a board with screws so that the rower's feet don'tslide. Adidas's shoe plate is made of a thermoplastic that looks likemetal but is lighter. In case the boat capsizes, the shoe ($150) has awide velcro strap that allows the rower to eject his feet by pullingwith just one hand. The kayaking shoe ($45) has plenty of holes to letwater escape but is still sturdy enough for the kayaker to walk in.While shoes aren't allowed in swimming or diving events, Adidasprovides poolside slippers, touting a soft sole and nonabsorbent,breathable "bandage."
