LATEST NIKES RAISE FEARS

ATHLETES have accused World Athletics of favouring Nike in the wake of their new regulations to tackle the growing controversy around racing shoes.

The sport’s governing body last week issued tighter rules to counter the issue, but critics argue they do not go nearly far enough.

While the directives ban footwear with a stack height in excess of 40mm and more than one carbon plate, that has affected only one shoe — the Alphafly prototypes worn by Eliud Kipchoge when he went underer two hours for a marathon last year. The rest of Nike’s earlier Vaporfly and nd Next% products, which have had a drastic impact on the elite end of f the sport, have been passed as compliant.

The unease grew on Wednesday with the release of Nike’s new Air r Zoom Alphafly Next%. With a stack ck height of 39.5mm there have been een raised eyebrows about the convenience of its proximity to the limit of the regulation, given the months they would have spent in development.

American Kara Goucher, a former world silver medallist, said: ‘What a coincidence an objective panel with no outside influence landed the ruling at 40mm. Groundhog Day.’

Citing the stack height of 30mm that has been determined for track spikes, Mara

Yamauchi (below), the No 2 on Britain’s all-time marathon standings, said: ‘At every turn, World Athletics seem to be preparing the ground on Nike’s behalf from removal of technology clause, to new 40mm rule, to 30mm for spikes. How many track athletes now wear spikes at 30mm? Not many, surely. So why open the floodgates? Makes no sense. ‘Pretty soon Nike track athletes will be oblitobl iterating records in 29.9 mm spikes. You can see it coming. Why else would a 330mm rule have been created?’

In defending the decision around setting the stack height at 40mm — the same as the version of the Next% rereleased last year — a World Athletics spokesperson told Sportsmail: ‘The working group created the rule based on what was already available.’ With oother brands poised to release competing products, World Athletics are studying the impact of new technologies with a view to further restrictions.

British international Jess Judd tweeted: ‘What’s sad is that running used to be so pure. I know technology has been improved in other sports, but I chose athletics because there was no hiding place. It’s sad that these trainers and spikes are going to be the new norm.’