SPORTSGEAR manufacturer Nike has designed a pair of running spikes, the lightest and strongest ever made by the company, specifically for 100-metre world record holder Asafa Powell to be worn at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, in China in August.

The shoe, MVP club president Bruce James told the Observer in an exclusive interview, was prepared by Nike's technical team using an imprint of Powell's foot, taken while the athlete was on a previous visit to the company and was designed to fit his size 11 feet exactly.

Nike will refine the shoe after each meet Powell competes in during the build-up to the Olympics, and will present the athlete with the finished pair ahead of the Olympics which take place from August 8-24.

The world's fastest man, Jamaican Asafa Powell, is all smiles in this file photo. The world record-holder at 100 metres has received a new pair of specialised running spikes from sponsor and sporting goods giant Nike. Photo at left shows the previous monogrammed shoe made for the track star.

The finished shoe will also have any design and be in any colour the athlete requests.

Powell, who holds the world record of 9.74 seconds, was presented with the first prototype of the shoe by Nike in Los Angeles on the weekend where he and the fastest woman in 2006, Sherone Simpson, were among a group of athletes, including Olympic long jump champion Tatyana Lebedeva of Russia and Olympic triple jump champion, Sweden's Christian Olsson, doing a photo shoot to help promote the brand for the upcoming Olympics.

Nike has stipulated that the prototype cannot be unveiled publicly until Powell competes in his first race of the athletic season at The Queen's/Grace Jackson meet at the Stadium East this Saturday where he will compete in the 400m.
According to James, when the athlete tried the shoes, he immediately stated that he would lower his personal best 47.17 seconds in the 400m, while wearing them this weekend.

Powell, who clocked the world 100m record at a Grand Prix meeting in Rieti, Italy last September, two weeks after claiming 100m bronze at the World Championships in Osaka, Japan, is also scheduled to compete at track and field meetings in Australia in February, as well as the Penn Relays in April.

"This will give him every possible advantage an athlete can get from a spike," James told the Observer.

He said that it was a mark of Nike's confidence in the athlete, who has been signed to the brand since 2003, adding that Nike was looking forward to world record and gold medal performances from Powell in Beijing.

Nike has in the past produced specific running shoes for five-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, where he clocked a world record 19.32 seconds in the 200m and claimed gold in the 400m.

Olympics and World Championships 100m silver medallist Lauryn Williams and Olympics and World Championships 4x400m gold medallist Sanya Richards are among the cadre of athletes who promote the Nike brand.

'What was I thinking?' Chris Brown speaks out

Fashion Saturday

Colourful Coif