The past year has witnessed a lack of follow-through among international sportswear giants. For example, Nike did not launch any new product in the field of racing shoes last year, only relying on releasing new colorways and reducing prices. Besides, New Balance, Saucony and HOKA ONE ONE merely released some new products. It was only Puma and Adidas Asics that had done well in the past year. Nevertheless, with hopes for the new year, many brands are prepared to take part in the cut-throat competition and launch their new works.
Nike:
Nike still prevailed over many brands by frequently appearing on courts in 2021, but it seems to be losing this advantage without the release of new hardcore running shoes. Despite that, Nike has mustered all its strength to change the situation through the release of various new running shoes. With all manner of new shoes exposed on social media, many people are electrified and expect to get their beloved ones.
Nike Alphafly NEXT% 2 has been a hit in the field of racing shoes and worn by many Nike athletes. However, it still remains to be seen whether the innovative work can change the problem of excessive pressure on wearer’s calves and ankles.
Nike StreakFly’s image has also been released. The shoes, without a carbon plate, is equipped with a ZoomX foam of moderate thickness that is inviting for many Nike fans. What’s more, the training shoes like Nike Pegasus Turbo 3 and Nike ZoomFly 5 are all coming to runners this year.
New Balance:
New Balance has in the past year updated its FuelCell RC Elite, a carbon plate running shoe, along with a revamp of its training shoes. But among its various shoes, it is FuelCell Rebel V2 that has received the most popularity from runners.
New Balance is determined to change that and improve itself by launching a series of products. In addition to FuelCell RC Elite V2 and FuelCell Rebel V2 with which many runners are most familiar, New Balance is to release the SC Pacer and the SC Trainer as well.
The design concept of SC Pacer and SC Trainer is somewhat similar to that of several works of Adidas. The soles of SC Pacer are of medium thickness while that of SC Trainer are super thick, about 50mm. Despite that, the difference between them may be the experience they are to offer to runners, which still remains to be tested.
PUMA:
Puma did make a great stride in 2021 and it seems to continue the trend. In addition to the Fast-R Nitro Elite unveiled at last year’s World Expo, Puma also exposed Fast-FWD Nitro Elite that looks more radical than Fast-R Nitro Elite.
Saucony:
Saucony’s achievements in the field of new running shoes in 2021 are somewhat unimpressive. Although Endorphin series has ushered in new versions, the upgrades merely lie in the refinement of the shoes’ vamps. However, good news is that the brand is finally to take action and catch up with others.
In the new running shoes of 2022, Saucony actively adopts the design of thickening the soles. On the basis of the previous shoes, Saucony has its shoes thickened, and Endorphin Pro 3, Endorphin Speed 3, Endorphin Shift 3 and Triumph 20 have all become bulky.
Others:
Of course, it is about more than the above brands mentioned. For example, Asics will release an iteration of its MetaSpeed series that has already been exposed online. At the recent Houston Marathon, Sara Hall has broken a record wearing the shoes. On top of that, HOKA has already launched a new shoe in January and will soon launch the HOKA Carbon X3 and the HOKA Mach SuperSonic.
Over and above that, Adidas will be loath to lag behind. Surely it is going to yield unusually brilliant results in 2022.
Overall:
With so many new shoes to be released in 2022, we can not only enjoy a visual feast, but also look forward to the performance of a lot of shoes. Therefore, let’s wait and see what surprises we can expect from the new shoes.