If you win at the 2016 Olympics, not only do you get yourself a gold, silver or bronze medal — you also get a pretty nifty pair of shoes to take home with you as well. Adidas has an ultra-exclusive “winner’s shoe” for the Olympic elite, 3D printed and with colour-coded laces to suit gold, silver and bronze.
Complex reports that the shoes have been rated up to long distance runs of 10km, which is impressive given that our experiences of 3D printing in the past have been bespoke parts that rarely stand up to any significant punishment. The winner’s shoes’ basic Ultra Boost shape is ridiculously comfortable and lends itself to some marathon exercise, but here it’s just even more high tech than usual.
The entire sole of the shoe is 3D printed with a plastic honeycomb web, which is denser in areas which take more force during footfalls. The heel counter area, too, is 3D printed — a first for Adidas. The top of the 3D Printed Winners Shoe is stitched from the company’s tried and tested Primeknit breathable upper, they’re a real-world version of the entirely-printed Futurecraft runners the company unveiled in October last year. [Adidas]