Why The Olympics Almost Banned This Shoe

[@randxalthor]

Blake stood out here, seems like an amazing human being. Being capable of saying "I disagree, but I understand" in the face of being disqualified from the Olympics for something outside of your control is a whole other level of resilience and maturity.

[@losergamer04]

If Phelps got to keep his records with the high-tech swim gear, then they should have let Blake compete with a one-time exception.

[@davidtoomey4712]

Well said. I'd be pissed if I was him, training so hard and overcoming a disability just to be told he can't compete based on a questionably calculated theoretical height limit...

[@DotDodd]

It's wild how they used a small study from Caucasian and Asian men to define how tall a black man *would have* been. Dude never had legs to begin with, how would you know how tall he would've been? At the very least I would've looked at medical records of the men in his family from both his mother's and father's side, then taken into account modern medicine and diets to determine how tall he would've been.

[@valleyshrew]

@@DotDodd So people could chop their own legs off to get an advantage? Not a road they want to go down. A huge part of being a successful athlete is avoiding injury and managing recovery. Metal cant get injured.

[@JohnDlugosz]

The real career is the fame you get from it, so Blake can probably have as good of a career as a silver medal winner, in terms of endorsements, appearances, etc.

[@anatutech]

BIG RESPECT to my man Blake. "I disagree but I understand". Real sportsmanship there. Wishing him all the best!

[@JosiahWendell-sr8vi]

No kidding. He seems like a really respectable human

[@anatutech]

@@JosiahWendell-sr8vi Very well so

[@airplanes_aren.t_real]

I still kinda feel bad for him, the elgs might give him a slight advantage on certain metrics but it's clearly 90% just his blood sweat and tears driving his results, I hope he can compete in the future

[@alanhunt7409]

@@JosiahWendell-sr8vi

[@bgold2007]

Reminds me of the comedian about OJ " I'm not saying it's right - but I understand!"

[@SlimedogYT]

Cleo has one of the most gentle and warm voices I have ever heard. I could listen to her talk about just about anything. She also would be perfect for ASMR. I bet she's also very soothing to listen to when you're sick, like someone just chatting quietly with you and checks in to see how you're feelin'. She gives off a comforting vibe

[@Rugops42]

I bought a pair of shoes from a drug dealer once, I don't know what he laced them with but I was tripping for days.

[@nicholesanderson6348]

Take my angry thumbs up and get out.

[@ytumer1]

Dad is that you?

[@shep6774]

😂😂

[@ArtFreeman]

Be careful when walking or running so you do not trip on things.

[@tonygasull1047]

😂

[@samchen9951]

15:45 "I don't agree with it but I understand." It's SO refreshing to hear people open minded enough to truly hear out the opposing side, even if they don't agree with it. Kudos.

[@a_moleperson]

exactly my thoughts, in fact thats when i accepted his argument the most

[@nowandrew4442]

​@@a_molepersonyou accepted his argument when he didn't trash the counter-argument? So his argument itself didn't sway you but something irrational and irrelevant did? Good job 🤡

[@ErnPrivado]

he understands. but also he wants someone(even not him) in the same condition to compete in the same Olympics that is being seen as fair and not advantage.

[@sabrsabrsavr]

He's a class act! We need more of him

[@zes7215]

wrg,idts

[@DougvonSohsten]

Your videos are mindblowing... PRODUCTION VALUE OVER THE CHARTS. Keep up the AMAZING work.

[@DaveBerendhuysen]

There's only one true solution: go back to naked Olympics. Leave the tech and doping to the Enhanced Games

[@canyoupoop]

Suddenly I am interested in seeing Olympics

[@cashmerethepup]

I think we should just split sports into two categories: One for the "purists" where all the athletes compete naked and without any gear that may give a technological advantage in any way One for the "hardcore" crowd where there are no rules. Instead of about athletics, it will basically be an engineering competition.

[@PerfectAlibi1]

Or give everyone access to tech, though probably not doping. But better clothing items should be fair for everyone to use, as long as everyone has free access to them. Maybe every Olympic athlete gets to use it for free during the Olympics?

[@GhostSamaritan]

We already have "raw" competitions in powerlifting. Other sportd should follow suit (or no suit).

[@DaveBerendhuysen]

@@joesterling4299 this actually also makes a lot of sense

[@YOEL_44]

There's a place where Nike truly finds the limits of human body, and that's their supply-chain factories...

[@ungeekness]

OOFT

[@honeytgb]

Touche!!!

[@turbot_]

Yooooooooooo

[@honeytgb]

@@YOEL_44 🤣 LMFAO

[@teknoid5878]

Trump : those are returning to the usa.

[@FunOnI]

Hey, I KNOW THE ANSWER: JUST GIVE EVERY ATHLETES The SAME kind of equipment for that particular game while minding their sizes.

[@Isabella-vx3bc]

Not really an answer The swimsuits for example are very expensive And not every country is capable of providing that for each of their contestants.

[@psieonic]

I mean... make the standard less expensive then? Or set up a fund for it? There are options, but some kind of standardisation is needed. The money argument doesn't make any sense anyway, because if they can't afford standardised gear, they're certainly not affording the hyper advanced high tech gear that skirts the rules.

[@kayelle8005]

Some sports at the Olympics do exactly that.

[@jumano]

@@Isabella-vx3bc then they can use regular swimwear. What we are talking about is that only one or very few top technology models should be allowed and announced 6 months before the games.

[@lilwaffleiron7845]

Not going to work because like with shoes for example, different kinds of shoes help people with different kinds of gaits. Also different arch levels and running styles have different shoes to accommodate them.

[@michaelhannah6949]

I have been running for 25 years and when I first ran in the Alphafly 3 I was BLOWN AWAY, the biggest impact for a normal runner like myself was the reduction in fatigue. I can’t imagine how much it must help a top level runner

[@Lord_LindaThePhilosopher]

My gosh I wish I could get those (300$) I'm curious to see if they would help with leg pain even when walking. I have pretty severe RLS so I'm very intrigued by their effects on pain

[@turkeyssr]

For that much money, it should run for you.

[@X85283]

@@Lord_LindaThePhilosopher They aren't really for walking, it wouldn't surprise me if they made things worse.

[@BitTwisted1]

What made a big difference for me was getting my runners professionally fitted, including canting adjustment to the insoles. The stability difference was immense and this leads to less fatigue.

[@Amethyst_Friend]

So you could fly? Where did you land?

[@ryanvw7254]

Nike probably wouldn’t want you to, but it would have at least been fair to mention that the record of Kipchoge is not recognised as an official record as it broke a lot of the rules that you’ve mentioned in this video. Of course it’s still an amazing achievement, but there’s a reason it has not been matched in an official event. This video makes it seem like it was purely the shoes, but he literally had a group of pacers shield him from the wind while running.

[@gpersonaltrainer]

Kelvin Kiptum ran 2h:00m:35s using the Alphafly 3 in Chicago. Regrettably, in February he tragically passed away. Finding the ideal conditions, he would have certainly been able to go sub 2h.

[@chad85100]

@@gpersonaltrainer100%. Sad but I was thinking Kiptum would be the first to run sub 2 hour marathon in a competition. It will happen sooner rather than later.

[@ColinKip]

P.S I might be biased, However, Kipchoge's attempt at Sub-2 hour marathon, was more of an attempt to prove that it is actually possible to run 42km is actually possible, thus, they attempted it severally, each time improving on the last- basically, SCIENCE(ING) a sport where it was a niche of sorts. To use them in ordinary sport, then is to regularise it. Doping imo should actually count in instances where the athlete is intentionally cheating giving himself an advantage (artificially) against others. Say use of steroids etc

[@high-captain-BaLrog]

A hundred and a dozen things have to go right for a perfect race The above wisdom is true your talented but not talented enough athletes.

[@WesdenzelTV]

The record and this video have nothing to do with each other

[@barongerhardt]

The swimsuits and shoes aren't just tech advantages but an advantage that was only being offered to select athletes. The shoe rule that it needs to be a shoe publicly available for X amount of time is solid and swimsuits should go the same way. For the running blades, it may look like a very similar sport, but the tech paths are divergent and again not available to all. It should be recognized as the separate sport/event that it is. In the blade runners only events, things like the height rule may or may not be needed.

[@Etho_9]

But you're then essentially banning disabled people from competing against able bodied ones. That's not fair either, especially considering that he didn't get a speed advantage and the other points mentioned.

[@barongerhardt]

@@Etho_9 It isn't banning, it is recognizing they are not the same event. Any speed advantage that may or may not be there is irrelevant, because they aren't doing the same thing. We could have a fair category for bladed runners by making a rule set for blades that attach and move in a way that is the same regardless of lower limb.

[@Etho_9]

@@barongerhardt yes you are. You're segregating disabled people from able bodied ones, supporting the notion that they cannot complete with them. But they can, they are primarily using the same skills and outright forcing any disabled person into a different category blocks them from visibility and potential resources. It's definitely possible to find fair requirements to let them participate, especially in this case.

[@barongerhardt]

@@Etho_9 As long as they run without the blades, I think it is fine. Let them compete. What you are arguing for is different rules for different people in the same competition. Most of the time when one participant gets special rules or advantages only available to them, we call that cheating.

[@Etho_9]

@@barongerhardt ah, I see, arguing in good faith isn't on the table here, excuse me for thinking it was. Well, bye

[@andriinaum1411]

10:00 35° Celsius for those who might ask

[@Blex_040]

Holy macaroni that's really hot!

[@retro_451]

Yikes. And thanks.

[@mthugs4458]

That's average temperature in India during summer..with some southern areas having 90+ humidity too😢

[@nasapayrollsystem8701]

I'm a Kelvin person 😢... always forgotten about

[@_Valixity_]

@@nasapayrollsystem8701 308 K. i gotchu bro

[@user-vn9ld2ce1s]

This is really the question of "is the sport purely a test of human skill, or a technology race as well?". For me, the innovation that comes from it all, and trickes down to the everyday use, is worth the temporary " unfairness" created by someone having a slightly better gear than others. This can also be mitigated by the "all gear must be available to all" rule, which is a brilliant idea.

[@daexion]

most sports are a test of human skill and a technology race.

[@whateverbikes]

The "all gear must be available to all" rule is a farce. In track cycling for example, many bikes are officially available, but they have an absurdly artificially inflated price. Some are more than $100,000. Point is, they know damn well nobody will buy them, and it certainly isn't realistically readily available for competitors.

[@user-vn9ld2ce1s]

@@whateverbikes Well, they won't be available for casual cyclists, but the big teams have huge budgets, 100K is nothing for them.

[@jonathanreynolds2625]

​@@whateverbikes If your average contestant can't afford it, than it's not actually available to everyone. Part of being "available to everyone" means they might have to also give other athletes access to that equipment too. Cost shouldn't be a barrier.

[@whateverbikes]

@@user-vn9ld2ce1s So you agree they are not really 'available to all', making it not the brilliant idea you said it was in the real world.

[@sydneyperkins2038]

Been watching you guys for a year or more now and I’m always so impressed by the goal-setting, planning, compromises, and positivity you guys bring.

[@danzwku]

Ah, so the stuff Batman uses with his billions in research and development.

[@felixnyamongo]

Now that you mentioned it, batman might use these shoes to always catch up to criminals

[@casualcommenter9730]

An all batman Olympics sound rad as hell

[@danzwku]

@@casualcommenter9730 yeah, one that's about the spirit of engineering.

[@Mr.Barclay]

Pretty much

[@rumanahmedshaikh9720]

Yeah, i thought the same thing

[@zumabbar]

11:05 great comedic timing delivery for the "she's been running for... 2 and a half minutes." lmao

[@mm6705]

WHATS SO FUNNY ABOUT 2 MINUTES OF RUNNING :P Thats a long time in this day and age...

[@thecreator126]

I started my work outs back in high school with at least 10 min of running. So I’d say it’s definitely not a long time to be running, but hey maybe it is for your day and age.

[@Vysair]

@@mm6705 not really but maybe bcuz i live in tropic climate

[@JuniperDenn]

Oohh I want to use this video in one of my seminars next year to exemplify my lecture on embodiment, sport, and technology, where I discuss the limits of human capacity and what kind of tech aids are considered cheating in competitive settings! Great work Cleo 😄

[@Roy_Godiksen]

One of the most important points to consider is: Can every potential Olympic athlete afford the same equipment? If Ethiopian athletes all of a sudden struggleto keep up because the west is wearing high tech, ultra expensive equipment. How would that be in line with the Olympicspirit?

[@ArtFreeman]

One could also include food and clothing. Some countries will have better things than other countries.

[@ak_hoops]

Yes I think that’s a better discussion. Because if it’s wildly available (and affordable) then everyone has a chance

[@Roy_Godiksen]

@ArtFreeman And some have better air quality. We Obviously can't equalize All variables. But equipment and doping we can equalize as much as possible

[@ArtFreeman]

@@Roy_Godiksen In order to pay for equalization countries would have to raise taxes and republicans would be the first to complain.

[@Roy_Godiksen]

@ArtFreeman That has Nothing to do with Anything with this video...

[@RedHatMedia]

By the way, you should never cut carbon fibre without a proper face mask and a an air exhaust system right next to the saw. Carbon fibre dust is a bit like a modern asbestos and will stay in your lungs forever, since your body can't break it down. It will also stay airborne for a pretty long time, due to to its super fine size.

[@svenjaaunes2507]

good to know

[@le16pard]

It’s like no one knows. I see far too many KZbinrs doing this. 😢

[@the_darkiller9369]

Holy shit dude thanks for the info

[@Coz131]

Can the body break down saw dust comparatively?

[@SweBeach2023]

Asbestos are not as dangerous as people make it out to be. Yeah, it's bad. But we're talking high levels of long-term exposure before damages to the body can be noticed. Doing it once or twice won't hurt you.

[@The1Rashid]

0:42 “Whoa that’s grippy” while blurring is WILD. Editor, I see what you’re doing

[@abdarshihub2160]

What

[@anothernamlesscommenter352]

Glad to see I’m not the only one that caught that lol I think the editor just explained to whoever they justified this action to, that they should blur it to keep viewers watching to find out what was so grippy later in the video. But in reality yeah I think that they just wanted some laughed. I hope they don’t take down this video and repost it with that part edited out

[@TJ-vh2ps]

0:55 “we don’t runs barefoot anymore, we don’t swim naked.” You’ve hit on a brilliant idea! The ancient Olympic Games were competed in the nude. To make the games as fair as possible, all competitors must be nude. We make the games more fair and increase viewership immensely. 😂

[@mygirldarby]

Women were not only disallowed from competing in those Olympics, but they weren't even allowed to be spectators.

[@ForestRaptor]

@@mygirldarby that's not what is being talked about here though. In the "nude" means no tech advantage. everybody gets the exact same "skin" suit with their flags and done. All of the competitions, everybody has the exact same "to measure" nude garb and that's how they compete. I would be hella stocked with that!

[@HuanHunter]

Headline: Women's Beach Volleyball sees a 69mil % uptick in ratings

[@zzaaaaap]

Can you imagine growers finally having an advantage with their genetic drag reduction system lol

[@n4_ku]

@@HuanHunter Most of them are 90% naked anyway.

[@MichaelProcario]

Cleo lives the best life. She gets to wear the official olympic uniform, wear a spacesuit, get in a F1 car.

[@robertmusil1107]

Easy when you're a sellout without morals.

[@thomasquigley7040]

Cleo, your production is of such high caliber, and your ability to communicate complex and nuanced subjects in a clear manner is amazing. Love your videos.

[@flyingchic3n]

I think its about accessibility to the gear. Regulators need to try to keep gear available and reasonable priced so that the sport stays relatable

[@XxDotApRoxX69]

I believe this is the reason fastskins were banned. They were effective enough to be required but in 2008 they cost $400 and chlorine ruined the effectiveness after only a handful of uses. That's a huge burden to put on student athletes.

[@andreachavez8088]

I agree, I think she should have talked about it

[@360.Tapestry]

not relatable - competitive

[@6ren7]

I’ve been following your channel for a little while now and just want to say it’s positively refreshing to see fun, informative content for once rather than the ‘brainrot’ stuff a lot of creators are posting now. Very nicely produced content that’s fun to watch and teaches you something too, awesome!

[@mauriceryton]

The plausible discussions you raised are valid from both sides of this debate. You did an outstanding presentation in this video. Well done.

[@TheCatWitch63]

15:41 It’s so unfair that his estimated height was calculated using averages from other ethnicities, that are traditionally smaller. It feels almost like that they were looking for any technicality that would impede him from participating in the Olympics.

[@salmiakki5638]

it's not the fact that those ethnic groups are typically smaller that makes the estimate doubtful, I guess the reasoning behind the criticism for it is that their body proportion might be, on average, different between ethnicities (I have no knowledge of that, but i can imagine being true) wich would skew the estimate

[@daexion]

Is it? A lot of human proportions are the same across ethnicities, from my understanding.

[@TheCatWitch63]

@@daexion Not at all. The human body size and measurements change depending on ethnicity, nutrition, and genetics. Salvadoran people, for example, are a lot smaller on average than the people from the US.

[@benpurcell4935]

⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠@@TheCatWitch63I would say ethnicity plays the smallest part in determining body size and measurements if at all. A good example of this is that North Koreans and South Koreans are now considered ethnically distinct from each other but if you go back 70 or so years they had pretty much the same body size and measurements but modern day North Koreans are significantly smaller than their Southern counterparts due to malnutrition and a couple of other factors. They share similar genetics but have diverged due to the two populations being isolated from each other.

[@pat9353]

They might be off, but are they off by _5 inches?_ certainly not. On blades he’s taller than he would have been. How are you going to on hand regulate the height of foam padding in shoes, and on another hand allow 5 inches of extra perfectly calibrated human prosthetics. Is _that_ fair?

[@chennyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy]

Allowing the swimsuits also meant that amateur competitors, national competitors, school competitors had to consider these extraordinarily expensive garments. Everyone can buy a goggle. Not everyone can buy $1000 LZR swimsuit.

[@anubis520]

This is a very real point that people don't consider. This turns the development and grass roots into a rich person's sport.

[@billyswong]

If it is only about price, in theory we can forget all technical details and only ban gears that exceed certain price point. But in reality it is impossible to define objectively how pricey is too pricey. The LZR swimsuit is less about price but more about "has it started getting into the league of flippers in swimming assistance".

[@PrograError]

Well... there should be an additional category, or even an alternative Games, like something called an Ultra Olympics working on the same idea of the Constructor's Championship of F1. In a sense that the manufacturers could design more efficient gears under a separate set of rules and open up for improvements similar to how F1 brings certain tech back to the more civilian type vehicles i.e. ABS, automotive Carbon Fiber

[@Idiomatick]

Yeah and few people will chop their legs off for blades. Pretty obviously should be banned.

[@paulburke9198]

@@Idiomatick U were careful where to put the "t" mister. (sorry , jus couldn't help myself ).

[@leokimvideo]

The swimsuits altered the buoyancy of the swimmers. So they are banned. Can you do a deep dive on the Nike Swift Suit that reduces drag for runners, Cathy Freeman wore one at the Sydney 2000 Olympics yet the Swift suit seems to have just disappeared, WHY? We would all love to know??

[@marynoonan6111]

“A moral obligation to keep pushing forward” Oh perleeeze Nike man!!! What corporate BS!!

[@TheZoltan-42]

How would innovation ever be possible if you had to actually sell your shoes! 😂 Preposterous... What's next? They will force them to sell the shoes for the same price to everyone?!?

[@lpls]

I get it that they make it their mission. But I agree that "moral obligation" doesn't apply.

[@knifeyonline]

Somebody like him probably believes it, he looks like a coolaid drinker

[@AA-vs9kh]

I agree. I rolled my eyes when I heard that. And his statement at the end. What a croc of shit

[@MegaCanadianbear]

The Nike dude totally dodged the question.

[@UserCommenter]

Gotta be the best production Cleo. Great peek at the shoes and the blades. Thank you :)

[@jotrades26]

We have all this gear and then there is Yusuf from Turkey, bro comes in wins silver and refuses to elaborate , pure skill doesn’t need a cape

[@00000a0009]

I think the only discriminate of technology to avoid in sport is ease of accessibility. All sportsmen should be able to have it if they want to. If it is not possible so it should be banned. If it is easily accessible and the sportsmen can choose to use it or not it should be allowed

[@PlaySA]

That's not as simple as you're making it out to be. Think about the blade guy at the end of the video, if other athletes wanted to could they amputate their own legs and put on massive springy blades?

[@00000a0009]

​@@PlaySAOf course! Nothing is as simple as it sounds, but for the sake of brevity... Also highlighting edge cases can be a persuasive strategy, but it doesn't always reflect the full picture

[@dand5829]

So what do you make of sports like canoeing or rowing where the equipment can cost tens of thousands of dollars and the difference between a good boat and a mediocre boat is the difference between winning and losing. Not to mention the equestrian sports like dressage, which aren’t even real sports it’s literally just all about the horse and horses are expensive AF. There is no way that every rower can afford to be in the best equipment. Do you suggest just canceling those events because they are unequal in terms of equipment?

[@swaanm]

@@PlaySA​​⁠​⁠No prosthetic that currently exists can make an amputee perform as well as an able-bodied person, though. They show in the video that athletes with prosthetics are 40% slower around starting blocks and 1-3% slower around curves than non-amputees (looks like their source is an article written for the University of Colorado Boulder site, which took statistics from Royal Society Open Science). The athletes in the video even says that what they got him on was the blades making him taller, not them making him actually run faster. A lot of lower limb amputees choose to use wheelchairs some or all of the time specifically because leg prosthetics come with a lot of disadvantages. If you’re referring to a science fiction world where prosthetics somehow function the exact same as flesh legs, only better, then yeah, your point is good.

[@00000a0009]

@@dand5829 but it isn't proprietary tech. Anyone who can afford it can buy it

[@tagbon]

Great video. All the science (and money) behind sports and sports gear is a fascinating field.

[@cashmerethepup]

hi

[@johncashwell1024]

Much better than I thought it would be. This is a rather good example of journalism. For the most part, the journalist in this video keeps the reporting to a non-partisan narrative. She presents the facts, as they actually are. She makes no attempt at using her position or your emotions to pursuade or influence your decisions either for or against the athletes or the technology.

[@user-ii7xc1ry3x]

For those curious, the Nike Vaporly 3 seem to go around for $280-300

[@brandall101]

Alphafly 3, which is what we saw in the video, is $285 in the US. The Vaporfly 3 is $250.

[@Alvinobeat27]

Imagine buying the latest technology on running shoes only to lose to a Mexican Raramuri wearing Sandals 😂

[@Felix_Duesenburg]

@@brandall101 Thank you both. I don't like sitting through a whole video to find the one word you need but they don't tell in the headline.

[@ganglesmc6879]

They only last around 250 to 300 miles too, so 10 marathon races worth no account for training miles. The cost would really stack up for some athletes. Not to mention the waste of having such a short lived shoe

[@NiHaoMike64]

@@ganglesmc6879 I doubt they'll fall apart at 300 miles, most likely still usable when top performance is not necessary.

[@RoyalKingOliver]

I forget that Cleo only posts once a month. But when she does she comes out with bangers

[@yuchub7389]

And shes so hot wearing those fit uniform damn!

[@krumbergify]

Quality over quantity!

[@NowsNu]

Yeah, it's always interesting and in depth.

[@jalix3053]

I love these videos because they're just so fascinating and I love to learn about subjects I've never thought about and things that I've wondered but never quite understood, and Cleo does an AMAZING job at explaining/presenting any topics or concepts. I also just love her attitude towards learning. Her eagerness and genuine curiosity is infectious, it makes me appreciate the world around us and how far we've come as a species.

[@illawgical]

Oh! Cleo’s talking about a topic I can relate to! I’m a long distance runner that focuses on marathons. These days, you’ll see pretty much everyone in these shoes. It then becomes the great equalizer, especially now that pretty much every other running shoe brand has developed their own super shoe.. it took a few years and a few iterations, but most other brands now have shoes that meet or even surpass Nike’s Alphafly. The thing is, people don’t realize that though these shoes help your running economy, you still have to train. Months and months of training to reach your marathon goal. It’s not like a completely sedentary person can just buy these shoes and then complete a marathon the next day. Like you said, you get as much out of them as you put in.

[@mina86]

Uh? No, I’m pretty sure people do realise that you still have to train. Nevertheless, they give you advantage over people with other shoes. What are you on about?

[@NishfaanNaseer]

Hi there can u gimme a good Nike shoes recommendation for daily running. Ive been using Nike flex 2017 since 2017. And its almost time to buy a new one for me.

[@sirsquid577]

@@mina86 I don't think you realise how much of a confidence booster brand new running shoes gives you, let alone new 'super shoes' that supposedly will break records, also most of the masses that do certain events even marathons hardly train for it, and usually leave their training rather late and close to the event, so people already have a poor relationship between training and racing in first place late alone with the idea that 'my super shoes will do most of the work for me'. People do dumb things, and get dumb ideas, this isn't an uncommon concept XD

[@mina86]

@@sirsquid577, even if they leave the training rather late, they still train. No one buys the shoes day before the race and expect great result with no training.

[@PlaySA]

I mean yes, the shoes are only returning your own energy to you so the more you put in the more benefit they will give you. That being said they still massively, massively increase efficiency. The current rules seem fair enough, that a product must have been on the market for 4 months and be available to anyone, plus the foam height limit and the carbon fiber plate limit. That seems like a good way to do it to me.

[@ellielennon]

I really envy how Cleo is so confident and sure of herself in these spaces- I don’t know why but just asking to cut the shoe, or if she can sit in a plane, etc. is something I would feel bad or nervous about for NO REASON

[@altrogeruvah]

I don't think organizations are banning techwear because it's exceeding human ability, it's because of the likely precedence of backdoor exclusivity deals by selling ever-evolving tech to the usual highest bidders _first_ (namely the USA, Gulf States, China etc), especially before a very specific quadrennial international sport event. We wouldn't even be having this discussion about banning tech if every single athlete from every corner of the world had indiscriminate access to the same wearables in every international event.

[@mambanuggets3039]

I think the other layer to this isn't just on-paper accessibility, but cost as well, especially at the amateur or qualifying levels where athletes aren't guaranteed to be able to afford the latest tech. Like, for instance, someone from a less privileged background not making it through the tryouts for their collegiate track team because it was filled with rich kids wearing $250 Nike Vaporflys.

[@boxlessthinker1973]

Excellent video Cleo! Very tricky defining the line between allowable and not allowed.

[@cashmerethepup]

This whole thing sounds like nothing less than absolute genius advertising on the part of Nike. I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out that Nike had secretly lobbied to have these shoes banned.

[@xMoondo]

Why would they do that? They want their shoes on the podium. If they’re banned, they can’t have it on the podium. Now, advertising the shoes to be “the fastest shoe in the world” and saying “it should be banned” is different. People are so quick to jump to conspiracies for everything.

[@jamiemacdonald436]

Interesting theory

[@gpersonaltrainer]

As one of the comment above stated, there is no more supremacy of a specific brand. Adidas, Asics, Mizuno, Puma, Saucony, Reebok, etc., etc. have in their catalogue fast super-shoes which already won important events/marathons. There are a few pairs of "banned" shoes (of course, just for Elite runners), because they have more than 40mm heel stack, or 2 carbon plates. Honestly, despite they are not allowed, these shoes are not popular at all.

[@SanojBerg]

⁠@@gpersonaltrainerbut that makes the ban even better for Nike, doesn’t it? They could show this one time what their shoes are capable of. Now that it’s regulated the same thing is harder for all the other brands that make them now. Or did I miss something?

[@gpersonaltrainer]

@@SanojBerg Tigist Assefa also smashed the record at the Berlin Marathon (by more than 2 minutes), wearing the Adidas Pro Evo 1. I guess that every brand will find the athlete who takes most of the advantage wearing that specific pair of carbon plated shoes, PEBA midsole based. It's just a matter of time.

[@scottr.heffner9078]

I love Blake’s perspective. Seems like a great person.

[@rofferdal]

As a competitive swimmer at lower levels, I remember when the super suits came. Unlike previous swim wear, they covered a lot of the body. They were very expensive and had low durability, which means a lot of swimmers would not be able to afford them (we are talking about 10 times the price of previous gear and having to buy new several times each year, which also challenged sustainability). Of course, compared to bicycling at pro level, alpine skiing or golf, the price of gear was still low, but many swimmers without the suits felt they were competing against a suit, rather than a person. I guess most swimmers felt it was against the spirit of the sport.

[@Brownyman]

Considering you’re an F1 fan, you should do a video on all the Formula 1 technology that has been banned over the years, such as active suspension, side skirts, and fan car technology 🏎️

[@Triple_J.1]

McLaren puts it in their street cars.

[@Robbyrool]

It’s supposed to be a competition between the athletes’ abilities, not the tech. When the tech influences the results too much, it’s no longer a competition between humans but one between corporations.

[@eb6884]

I would love to see something like the Olympics but with all this tech with no limits. Imagine they take that Laserracer and keep using it, figuring out to improve finding the limit for such tech. Or the shoes, remove the limits; how much energy return can we truly get back. Or the runner blades, how fast; how improved can we make the human body go?

[@WICK_3D]

facts spoken fr

[@TecSanento]

But, the tech should be given by the competition to the athletes so they can chose what they like?

[@blurey8569]

@@eb6884 when i was reading "with all this tech with no limits", I immediately imagine the athletes would compete with racecar instead lol

[@yensteel]

You mean a Sandevistan is unfair?

[@SuperExadidas]

Happy to have discovered this channel! I’ve always admired the technologies of Nike, Adidas, and Asics-especially Nike, as I understand how advanced their testing methods are, both in machine testing and real-world wear trials. I hope that someday you can showcase the bounciness of ZoomX, Lightstrike+, and FF Turbo++ using a steel ball bearing. Another interesting test would be to demonstrate the resiliency, or the ability of the material to return to its original shape over a certain period of time, which we refer to as a Compression Test in our lab.

[@SophiaCapulet]

16:39 OMG can’t 🤣

[@TheTurtlebot]

This didn't really touch on the "can everyone use it" part for most cases. The lzr racer was $550 and meant to be worn only 10 times. Thats not accessible to everyone

[@andredsr2]

I've been following your video docs since Vox, this is one of the best, really interesting (and relevant) content, particularly the topic of people with disabilty, congtrats 👏👏👏👏

[@TonyAdokwu]

they should just make a Super league where all tech enhancements and drugs are allowed in order to see what is physically possible in terms of biotechnological human innovation. it would be the most interesting thing that ever happened to sports and science. they could also even allow men and women compete against each other

[@zanido9073]

Would only work in a dystopia. Otherwise it would encourage all kinds of unethical shit (think cybernetics, limb replacements, gene editing, deadly drug use, etc)

[@michaelslifecycle]

All tech is allowed? So I’ll just hop in my Lamborghini for the marathon 😂✌🏼

[@phreakhead]

​@@zanido9073If it's consensual why would it be unethical? The entire point is to be the best combination of human+tech and see how much better you can be than an unaugmented human

[@4vR3n]

@@phreakhead Partly because to be the "best", people would take increasing risks. Doping is a very good example of that and it is perfectly normal for athlete to prefer not to have a cancer a few years after the end of their career.

[@JdotCarver]

Hah I was all for this idea until the comments underlined how people dumb people would risk dying on the spot just to get their name on a record.

[@berky1976]

I understand this video isn't about Nike specifically, its about the ban of gear that enhances performance. But I'm not a fan of Nike's business practices so I don't wear anything made by them anymore. I do love your channel Cleo. You're so in-depth and you have great topics and you are a joy to watch because you always seem so excited about whatever it is you're getting a chance to learn and share. I love learning new things and your videos are one of the many avenues I use to learn.

[@g8610g]

Which is?

[@blackkitty420]

​@g8610g which is what?

[@g8610g]

@@blackkitty420 What are nike's controversial business practices?

[@tom4u2c]

Cleo is always so enthusiastic about her topics. Always delivering great data in an interesting and entertaining way. Good show

[@chazsmoove]

As a runner I have alpha flys and vapor flys and other regular training shoes. I do notice I can sometimes do better depending on the shoe, but I’m not sure how much of a placebo boost the shoes give me. I’ve also had good and terrible runs in super shoes so I know it’s not the equipment it’s the athlete that makes the biggest difference

[@Redmenace96]

Absolutely right, good comment. At the very top of every sport, the athletes are all maxed out in dozens of other variables... and then you throw a 2% gain on top of that. The percentage is important, too. For distance running, that adds up. For all levels below the elite, the shoes probably would only be one factor, amongst many that determine the outcome.

[@moaningpheromones]

BS those shoes are proven faster. Total BS. Call yourself a runner.

[@wilveno3185]

Great coverage on this, thank you. Your voice is pleasant to listen to 😊 and I love how you get access to crazy behind the scenes.

[@BrotherReynard]

You are such a brilliant journalist Chloe. I could watch your videos for hours !

[@artimist0315]

To me the answer is that every athlete competing in the same category should were the same gear (of course with the size matching their body) and that this gear should be chosen for the maximum comfort and ease of access/purchase so every athlete can learn to train with them. I thing the line is crossed when the technology is so advanced that it gives an advantage to the richest countries that make a "regular sport-man" with good but accessible gear physically impossible to catch up. To me if any gear cost more than 100-200$ in a store it should be banned. This of course depends on the sport, that's probably a low price for a canoe but what I mean is that new gear should be buyable by any federation and used/on sales one should be purchasable for a reasonable budget

[@Analysta654]

That's a good point. But I would argue that if someone has the essential ability, they, too, should be looking to get the best equipment. And if they can't afford the best equipment, they may not be competing. You wouldn't, for example, say that since athletes in poor countries can't afford the best Skiis, everyone should be using basic skills, for example. IMHO.

[@mm6705]

I think there should be standardized gear, just like in spec automotive racing, where every driver has the same car, tires, brakes...etc. Its real driver and crew skill versus other drivers and crews.

[@artimist0315]

@@Analysta654 We aren't talking about skying but about swimming or running, everyone should be able to compete in that. And the regular olympics are meant to show off the best human performance, it's not meant to be a tech show.

[@rikspector]

I agree, especially in track and field, but ,of course, look at sports like bobsledding etc. Equipment makes a real difference. IN marathon , the same athletes would win regardless of the speed, equipment should not be a factor like you said.

[@iam1smiley1]

I used to shoot 3-gun competition and it was a total gear race!! It was tiring and expensive to keep up. It didn't matter as much about how well you practiced, your friends who could afford the fancy gear soon had the edge. Sports should be about skill more than gear

[@Xelzos]

You are the first person, where I activate the bell, because your videos are THAT good! Thank you!

[@talon3684]

I dig the premise of this video. Great idea to research and review Cleo.

[@058Martine]

Especially that last part was ethically very interesting. He was too tall? But how does that work for people who are actually tall and use that to an advantage? Should they also be disqualified because their height is unfair to other athletes?

[@gauravr3832]

i had the same question it is a rule that needs more questioning and better understanding. Because i get where they are coming from but that is not a level playing field from my eyes

[@minentropy2016]

Not too tall. I think they claim that he had unnatural proportions , which gave him an advantage (lower body much longer, given his total height). But still, some people have longer legs than others that have the same height. I imagine that there would be some negotiations about the final height they decided that it was "fair" to compete with. But yeah, given also the disadvantages of having blades (e.g. reduced acceleration), what is "fair" is not really measurable and it's going to be subjective.

[@elladesigns9609]

I get the impression that they were just looking for any reason to disqualify him.

[@out_spocken]

@@elladesigns9609 as they should. Paraolympics exist for people that can't take part in the olympics without corrective equipment. It's that simple. Blades change entirely the sort of person competing. Now...if you want to say corrective equipment is allowed then there is a case for having no paraolympics. You decide. Can't have it both ways

[@rudolfspauders]

@@StevenGV1Completely agree, but you can twist it other way saying: - If people born with an advantage is ok, that means that any natural barrier created is ok and should remain that way. -So why shooters can wear glasses?

[@timo7641]

actually the Alphafly series is the nerfed version of the Vaporfly Proto that used by Klipchoge (Vaporfly Proto got more than 40mm PEBA stack height, 3 Carbon Fiber plate, 4 Air Zoom pods. While Alphafly 3 is regulated spec, less than 40mm PEBA stack height, one carbon fiber plate, 2 Air Zoom Pods)

[@gregguerndt2043]

Appreciate your hard work on these videos I enjoy your perspective thank you

[@mthugs4458]

Answer is simple..give every athletes same gears...!! So uniform gears will solve all debates .!!!

[@williamsoucy4706]

only problem with that is training if you train with a type of gear and get handed another one might be a disadvantage for some

[@washellwash1802]

As covered in the video, that's not fair to record holders

[@cosmokorenhof]

But then if a certain brand comes up with a new tech and every athlete is incentivized to buy and use that product it would create monoplies.

[@dgjanes917]

This is the only practical solution. Have companies compete for the official gear in advance, and make the gear available in advance of the Olympics. The biggest issue may be providing the gear to the athletes to train with. Qualifying takes place during the year running up to the Olympics. If you only give to qualified athletes, it might not be enough time to train with the gear. Maybe allowing the qualified athletes to choose between the current year and prior years official gear, would solve that. The issue with the prior records is always going to be an issue (bar naked competition) but at least this way it's an even playing field for the current competing athletes

[@MinecraftIsLoveMinecraftIsLife]

but it may be unfair to the athletes of the past.

[@ScottWaa]

Congratulates on 3 million!

[@prakash_77]

Great video, Cleo's energy is infectious!

[@cashmerethepup]

I think we should just split sports into two categories: One for the "purists" where all the athletes compete naked and without any gear that may give a technological advantage in any way One for the "hardcore" crowd where there are no rules. Instead of about athletics, it will basically be an engineering competition.

[@MediumSizedBagel]

cool idea, but it's be real. They aren't gonna make a "complete naked" olympics. Just give all the athletes the same gear.

[@lhasaphosa3350]

instead of being naked, which will never happen, they can put same gears on competitors and compete

[@crimsonghoul8983]

Latex with cotton lining may give less drag than regular clothes.

[@germsage6726]

Chinese women pumped full of testosterone :v

[@JaceKensut]

While I'd be all for this, thinking practically, I would say there should be a hard set of rules for the purist and a limited set of rules for the modders which can be changed as tech advances and it is made available to everyone

[@frezzingaces]

Head of product had the worlds vaguest answer to the question haha

[@hshoustontx]

You and your videos are a comfort zone for me. And help my mind feel safe. Thank you. ❤

[@silva-sir]

"Just wear it" ---NIKE 😂😎

[@cashmerethepup]

Hi fun

[@silva-sir]

@@cashmerethepup 😂 Hi

[@effel63]

*buy it 😂

[@riyaansheikh7470]

0:44 Grippy indeed 😂😂😏😏

[@RamenLoverYT]

Ayoooo

[@themanonajourney4536]

J Cole is like hmmm🤔

[@KedarnathGupta]

hi Cleo, loved this video! you beat journalists hands down in research and explaining it to us so simply and well!

[@thegamersaurusrex8555]

0:43 calling that *blurred out pink object* grippy is absolutely diabolical

[@GhostSamaritan]

J. Cole needs to license his "Grippy" verse for a basketball shoe commercial though.

[@e.hassen]

That’s what I thought right away 😂

[@AjaySharma-me1sy]

You're living the life Cleo! Researching about these cool things and going places. How do you start on a journey like that?

[@jarehelt]

We should have a Superhuman Olympics where steroids are mandatory.

[@jarehelt]

It's the only way to know no one is cheating

[@PlaySA]

They have that kind of thing for bodybuilding and weightlifting I believe. And yeah if it's a different category from natural athletes, fine I don't really care if those people want to wreck their bodies in return for success. But they cannot compete against natural athletes.

[@jarehelt]

@@PlaySA How do you define "natural" tho? Creatine is performance enhancing and is perfectly legal in every sport.

[@rdizzy1]

They are already essentially doing that. Go look up the "enhanced games" that they are doing, second half of 2025, absolutely no drug testing.

[@MisterSherlock]

9:42 oh great heavens

[@You-nerds]

But I wanna watch

[@jameswillburn837]

Appreciate your enthusiasm and informative energy you go Cleo thanks 👍👍🤓

[@carloguttilla7500]

IMO, they should make an unlimited/transhuman class for all sports, where the rules are/start the same, but you can do whatever you want to your body and use whatever gear/tech you want, provided the energy used to power the gear, comes from the person.

[@paulpease8254]

This would drive some crazy innovation, like Formula 1. I could see Red Bull getting into this.

[@flor.7797]

We already have woman sports 👀 👀

[@herrscotti007]

Next year there is a thing like that where also doping will be allowed

[@sadmermaid]

F1 it!

[@SozioTheRogue]

Broooo yes. Imagine the borderline cyber tech billion dollar companies will create to enhance the physical body. It would literally propel us into a cyber future due to the sheer capability of the tech. Sports, military, and entertainment are the three divers for innovation, besides money flow in general.

[@patrickhendron6002]

14:45 this part right here is so unscientific that they used a non race deterministic theoretical study. What if someone had a genetic mutation that I dunno increase growth rate in the lower extremities but was also then ablated by another mutation that stopped the growth during gestation. It's theoretically impossible to accurately correct something like that and to use a non race determined study to give any hypothetical measurement is so scientifically biased

[@OldManPaul]

Cleo I truly enjoyed your content!!! Thank you so much for sharing.

[@linux_gamer]

11:36 what happened with the colors?

[@FSCHW]

Can’t sprain an ankle, strain a calf muscle, get cramps or get tired lower legs with blades. Everyone should be using the same technology. All or nothing.

[@joieinka]

There are set of others problems that comes with it, blisters, swelling, and burns on the stumps, and cramps usually hits in the hamstrings not lower legs.

[@likeaboss.studio]

but it is fair, any legged individual can opt in for a bit of surgery to get rid of the unwanted parts and get blades

[@PlaySA]

Blades are 100% not fair unfortunately. Competing against other blade users, fine. But yeah I wasn't a fan when Pistorius was doing it and I haven't changed my mind now. They provide real, obvious benefits: they're incredibly springy, they consume no blood oxygen, they're much much lighter than a normal leg, they can't get tired or injured, it's just too many things to take into account and I do think it's better to have blade users race against each other instead of people with legs.

[@likeaboss.studio]

@@PlaySA Oh I agree, they should simply class all the odds in the same group, they need to unwoke and simply say no that is an entire new category, let the odds compete against the odds. I will poke the bear, Gender is not a state of mind and they should have 3 genders to compete separately "man", "woman", "other" it is unfair to the spirit of the sport allowing so many men to ruin woman's sport, but hey one can of worms at a time right?

[@joieinka]

@@PlaySA This has been research in depth, and always comes out as they do not have an advantage, show me the research that you build your opinion on.

[@KAIJUKING123]

At least you can give these shoes to kids being bullied so they can outrun there bullies

[@varughstan]

She looks good in that Olympic uniform. Like an athlete!

[@SemiPolymath]

How about the "unfair" Ethiopian advantage of excess hemoglobin near sea level from high-elevation training since those athletes have to train above 2 kilometers to avoid malaria mosquitos. Like Cleo says, it's complicated

[@noone-ld7pt]

Also I mean the average elevation of the entire country is 1300+ meters. That's literally just where a lot of them live.

[@high-captain-BaLrog]

So sherpas are endurance athletes now?

[@sophiophile]

Athletes from first world countries train at high altitude as well for this reason. it's not just Ethiopians.

[@kasparskrustins3391]

@@sophiophile But yhr poiny here is that one nation has lived here hundreds of generations and has developed genetic advantages already. If you are from other continetns plain fields you could go and train and live here from infant age - it would be different anyways from natives

[@icefox13]

@@high-captain-BaLrog many of them are, I'd argue.

[@NanaShawnia]

Not sure why youtube put you in my feed, but I'm glad they did! Was sad the video wasn't longer! Looking forward to seeing more of your videos!! Have a blessed day!

[@KevinTurner-aka-keturn]

You got to run in a space suit AND Olympian gear? You're the coolest!

[@MarcSpctr]

I think we do need another event like Olympics but with tech allowed so it is not only about the Athelete/Person but also about the tech they use, like how it is in F1. F1 isn't just about the driver, but also about the whole engineering of the car itself, as well. Cause we know that many tech from such events over a few years do come to consumer market as well. and it will definitely help humans overall to progress further.

[@jessy1982]

Horseriding is kind of like that where the horse is the star along with the rider. You can be the best rider in the world, but if your horse is subpar, you can't win.

[@Fortytwo42-05]

The way you explain is outstanding sis.

[@kittencatyguyooferdot2640]

"Welcome to Nike's test lab" -Casually trips-

[@MangakaLOL101]

Long time no see!

[@cashmerethepup]

hi

[@imguru_07]

The Olympics is a place for athletes to showcase their talents, not a place for companies to show their technologies

[@MegaLokopo]

No tech should be banned, but you should not be allowed to use tech that isn't available for free to the other competitors the day you get access to it.

[@brianbecher5781]

0:18 BASEBALL BAT BROS WILL!!!!!

[@jaimecoyomani2757]

10/10 content. I loved this philosophical question and your way of trying to answer it ❤

[@komjungin7174]

8:31 kofuzi

[@lapanthanim]

It saddens me that at any point in time, a company thought it made sense to imply the Olympics could be responsible for their lack of product innovation. At their core, as we're all taught as children, the Olympics were supposed to have been about human achievement (ideally imo including allowing people with reasonable approximations like Blake's running blades to compete), and at least attempting to bring people together across national lines, not just pleasing corporate execs/shareholders by providing them an additional runway for marketing their products.

[@DoctorJay.]

your videos are better than any series or movies. realistic scientific so good man. love you keep doing the good work