TL;DR
Japan is set to host the World Athletics Championships, returning to the country after the Olympic Games. In 2025, several new shoe innovations are anticipated, especially since many shoes lost certification in late 2024. Adidas is expected to showcase its new top sprint shoe, the Adidas SP4, which features a unique design allowing better energy absorption. The company is also launching a long jump version of its versatile Avanti model, inspired by the success of athlete Miltiadis Tentoglu.
ON Running aims to rebound from lost shoe certifications by introducing the Citius 2 LS with innovative LightSpray technology.
Hoka and Brooks have also launched new models targeting middle-distance events, with Brooks seeking to enhance speed with its Hyperion series. Saucony and New Balance have focused on fewer but more innovative models, with Saucony's Endorphin LD promising high rebound and New Balance's LD-x V3 featuring a new design.
Nike has developed the Air Zoom Long Jump Elite 1.5 in collaboration with Tara Davis, blending both jumping and speed elements. Puma is set to introduce its new FAST-XP technology and showcase various prototypes, leading up to the opening of the 20th World Athletics Championships.
Japan and its capital are ready to host the World Athletics Championships, which return to the Land of the Rising Sun after the sensational Olympic Games that saw tremendous performances, thanks to both shoe and track technology.
As for shoes, what will be the biggest innovations we will see on the track?
2025 has certainly not been ungenerous in terms of new models, thanks in part to the fact that in December 2024 many shoes lost their certification, so the various brands had to work hard to pull some new innovations out of the hat.
NEW CHALLENGE FOR ADIDAS
There are certainly high expectations for Adidas, which will be bringing the Adidas SP4, the latest top of the range sprint shoe from Adidas, to the stage. This shoe has not yet been used in any particularly important events, so we hope to see it in action in this context, also to get some feedback on its quality, perhaps in the new AMG color line, created in collaboration with the Mercedes racing division.
The unique feature of the SP4 lies in its revolutionary shape, with the balance point shifted entirely to the forefoot, allowing the shoe to balance on the plate like a seesaw. In this case, the concept expressed in the very first prototype of the SP3 (later shelved) has been revisited and finally finalized, particularly in the fact that a small space has been left between the upper and the plate to allow the structure to flex, so as to absorb energy to be returned to the stride.
However, this is not the only new feature that Adidas will be presenting: the Avanti model has proved so versatile and popular that it has been decided to make a long jump version, in addition to the track and cross-country versions. We will see the response from the platforms. For all this, Adidas has Miltiadis Tentoglu to thank, who last year won the three major events of the year with three different shoes: Ambition, Long Jump and Avanti, a unique achievement for a long jumper.
THE MD BATTLE
There will be lots of new developments in the middle-distance running sector, the driving force behind the evolution of foam-cushioned track shoes.
Let's start with ON Running.
ON was hit hard by the loss of certification, with six models lost. Without losing heart, the Swiss company brought back the Citius and Amplius lines in model number 2, but above all, at the deadline for submitting shoes for the World Championships, it introduced the Citius 2 LS, whose distinctive feature is the construction of the upper with LightSpray technology.
Both Hoka and Brooks have released two new models. Hoka has released the new Cielo Elite and Lite, for 800-1500m and 5000m-10,000m respectively, while Brooks has continued its path of innovation with the Hyperion models, with the MD2 and LD2, featuring sinuous and attractive shapes, very much geared towards speed. Brooks had already given its team a strong boost with the first version of the Hyperion, and here it is seeking to take another step forward, which at first glance seems to have been successful.
Fewer models but more innovation for Saucony and New Balance.
After a period of stagnation, Saucony found inspiration in producing the Endorphin LD, which promises a monstrous rebound coefficient, with 96% return from the foam.
New Balance, for its part, has completely redesigned the LD model, launching the LD-x V3, whose most visible feature is the brand new, almost ring shaped plate that skims the edges of the forefoot.
Shakedown Elite LD 3 and Shakedown Elite MD 3.5, on the other hand, are from Under Armour, which in the last two years has given a major boost to its middle-distance sector with products that are on par with those of its main competitors.
And Nike? Everyone was perhaps expecting Nike to release a Maxfly 3, which did not happen, but it made up for it in another way.
NIKE = CUSTOM
After signing Tara Davis, Nike sought to develop a new jumping shoe that would suit the strong jumper, replacing the Puma Nitro Long Jump shoes she previously wore.
This collaboration resulted in the Nike Air Zoom Long Jump Elite 1.5. This shoe incorporates the protection and upper of the long jump shoe with the plate and Air cushioning of the Maxfly, creating a hybrid between jumping and speed.
The collaboration did not stop with Tara Davis. In recent months, Nike has prepared some fantastic custom designs for Rai Benjamin's Maxfly 2, giving rise to what has been dubbed the RaiFly 2, featuring iridescent uppers reminiscent of sports car bodywork.
PUMA: FUTURE OF FAST
Let's move on to the icing on the cake. Apart from the new colors, including a dedicated "Digitokyo" version dominated by purple, pink and metallic white, Puma took advantage of the national spotlight to launch a new technology: FAST-XP.
Inside Puma House in Tokyo, the German brand has created a showroom displaying its upcoming prototypes: a veritable feast of shapes, designs and extreme technology. There are no official photos yet, but you can clearly see the profiles of sinuous marathon shoes, with gaps between the soles and uppers, and a very unusual spiked shoe, with the plate incorporated into a sort of foam shell.
It is clearly too early to draw conclusions about these futuristic innovations, so for now we will have to content ourselves with seeing Puma's top of the range products: Berserker Elite 2, Nitro Forte Elite, Nitro Forte Pro Elite, Nitro Naio Jump Elite and the biggest new additions, namely the new LD Elite and MD Elite.
Let the 20th World Athletics Championships begin.
About the Author
Alessandro Bacci
An accomplished sprint and hurdles coach with extensive experience across Italy’s top athletic institutions. He currently serves as sprint coach for the Italian Navy Academy and track & field practice teacher at the University of Pisa. Alessandro also coaches at Atletica Livorno 1950 and collaborates with the Regional Technical Sector of Tuscany, contributing to the development of elite athletes across the region.
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