On Monday, April 27th, the stock price of the German sports brand Adidas soared following the remarkable performance of Kenyan athlete Sebastian Sawe at the London Marathon on Sunday. Sawe, wearing the latest model of Adidas super running shoes, broke the record.
Sawe clinched the victory in the London Marathon with a time of 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 30 seconds, becoming the first male athlete in history to break the “two-hour barrier” in an official race. This achievement surpassed the world record of 2:00:35 set by the late Kenyan legend Kelvin Kiptum in 2023.
Inspired by Sawe’s feat, Adidas Frankfurt’s stock price rose by nearly 2% on Monday, later narrowing to 1.4%, reaching €138.2 per share (about $163). However, despite this boost, the stock has incurred a cumulative decline of over 18% so far this year, attributed to factors such as expected US tariffs, declining sales in the Middle East, and a sluggish Chinese market.
In addition to Sawe’s breakthrough, Ethiopian athlete Yomif Kejelcha closely followed with a time of 1:59:41 in the same race. In the women’s category, Tigist Assefa, also from Ethiopia, set a new women’s world record with a time of 2:15:41.
All three elite runners wore Adidas’ new Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 running shoes. According to official data, these super running shoes have an average weight of only 97 grams, 30% lighter than the previous generation, and provide a 1.6% boost in running performance. Priced at $500 per pair, they were released in limited quantities on April 23rd.
Sawe remarked on Monday, “What sets these shoes apart is their extreme lightness and incredible comfort.” Assefa attributed her victory to these shoes that “make her run faster” alongside her long and arduous training.
This significant victory marks a key win for Adidas in the competition of “super running shoes” against their rival, Nike. Observations from Reuters noted that participants in the London Marathon’s fastest elite amateur group wearing Adidas and Puma running shoes were prevalent, while the Nike Alphafly and Vaporfly series, which used to dominate the starting line, were notably fewer.
In contrast, Nike has faced challenges in recent years due to a lack of innovation. Despite Eliud Kipchoge breaking the two-hour barrier unofficially in 2019 wearing Nike prototype shoes, in formal competitions, Adidas is currently regaining market share through iterative technological advancements.
Patrick Nava, the General Manager of Adidas’ running department, stated, “This marks the fastest pace in human marathon history and is evidence of the athletes’ dedication and the joint efforts of our innovation team.”