Athletics won't strangle super-shoe innovation - Coe

Sebastian Coe says the organisation will not "strangle innovation" following the debate around the 'super shoe'. Sabastian Sawe won Sunday's London Marathon in one hour 59 minutes 30 seconds. Yomif Kejelcha finished 10 seconds behind Sawe.

Sawe, Kejelcha, and Tigst Assefa wore the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 shoes in London. Sawe thanked Adidas for making the best shoes he had worn, highlighting how "very light" and stable they are. Adidas claims their technology improves running economy by 1.6%. The shoes cost about $500 (£450). Coe said, "Yes, shoes play a part, but not the biggest part." Sawe shaved more than two minutes off his personal best in London, attributing his improvement to running about 200km a week at altitude. He reportedly took on 115g of carbohydrates per hour during the race.

By 2020, the governing body had introduced limits on sole thickness, the design of carbon-fibre plates, and commercial availability. Coe said regulations could change, stating, "This is inevitably an evolutionary process." He also said, "We work closely with the athletes, the coaches, the shoe companies. We don't want them to go off and spend hundreds of millions of dollars on shoes that we're going to find illegal. So there is a balance."