ASICS cheers on Elite Track & Field Athletes: "IT’S A BIG WORLD, GO RUN IT” in Beijing

ASICS Corporation (Headquarters: Kobe, Japan; President: Motoi OYAMA) today announces the athletes and federations supported by ASICS who will compete at the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China, on August 22-30, 2015.

ASICS will welcome all athletes and invited guests to its Hospitality Center in Beijing, located at: Zoomart Gallery, No.330, Caochangdi Art Village, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100015.

                                               ASICS LOUNGE Beijing 2015

For athletes, ASICS will provide a comfortable and inviting atmosphere to enjoy before and after their competition. Additionally, ASICS will welcome media and other guests to its lounge to experience the ASICS spirit.

ASICS is committed to the continuous improvement of its products and services.By providing sporting goods created using the knowledge cultivated at the ASICS Institute of Sport Science, ASICS’ goal is to help athletes continuously improve their performance and reach their full potential.

ASICS Institute of Sport Science (ISS) is the beating heart of ASICS – everything the company does begin and ends here. It is where the countless pieces of data from amateur and professional athletes build up over 60 years are curated and analyzed to inform and rationalize product development. ASICS ISS is at the forefront of sporting and athletic research including how the company’s footwear and apparel can help athletes achieve their goals through a scientifically grounded approach to training and racing.

Visitors to the lounge will be able to immerse themselves in ASICS’ history of supporting top athletes and also view ASICS’ newest footwear and apparel.

Federations supported by ASICS’ athletic apparel:

ASICS will provide athletic apparel for the track and field federations of six countries participating in the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing. The IAAF World Championships are the grandest world stage of track and field, and ASICS has minimized the colors used in the apparel to just one or two hues in order to heighten each athlete’s visibility and amplify his/her presence. With simplified motifs, the apparel fabric is optimally designed for improved performance so that each athlete can compete at his/her best.

Key apparel

Racing shirts and tights

ASICS has provided competition racing shirts and tights that offer excellent fit, primarily for short-distance, throwing, and jumping events.

Shirts are made of stretch fabrics that move well around the arms yet offer optimal support. Tights feature a more constricting stretch fabric for even better fit.

Running shirts and pants

Shirts are quick-drying to absorb sweat and use multi-filament thread. They feature soft pliability around the arms. The sides were designed with breathability and ease of motion in mind and are made of stretchable mesh.

Thermal compression bonds are used in the collar, side and pant tail; these parts have no seams. This feature reduces friction and chafing.

<Federations contracted with ASICS>

ASICS shoes offered to competing athletes

ASICS will provide shoes to athletes from around the world competing in the 2015 IAAF World Championships. ASICS has worked with athletes to make modifications based on their current shoe, with course conditions, local weather, and body type in mind. One such shoe is described below. ASICS will also provide spikes for middle- and long-distance runners, javelin throwers, and high jumpers.

About Sprint Spike Shoes

<SONICSPRINT Spikes>

The upper is lightweight and features good hold. It is made of mesh and heated Resin film to reduce stitching to minimize irritation.

The sprint plate is made of an ASICS super light composite plate that allows for the perfect amount of rigidity to create power. The removable 6-pin spike configuration is positioned for the specific needs of sprinters at start, drive and finish.

About the design:

The base color is Flash Yellow with ASICS stripes in Blue. Yellow represents Dynamism of life and High concentration. ASICS used this color combination for spikes and shoes in hopes that all ASICS athletes will perform at their best at the World Championships.

ASICS is excited to support these athletes and expects they will perform their best in their respective events.

< Leading ASICS sponsored athletes> as of Aug 14th, 2015

Japan:

Chisato Fukushima is the national record holder in the women’s 100m and 200m.

Yuki Ebihara is the national record holder in the women’s javelin throw

Yuzo Kanemaru won the men’s 400 meters 11th consecutive Japan National Championship

USA:

Alysia Montaño will be competing in the women's 800m, a distance that she has been very dominant in. Montaño is coming off a strong start to the year, winning the 600m at the USATF Indoor Championships in March and winning the 800m at the 2015 USATF Outdoor Championships in June. She now holds six USA National Titles, tying the record for the most wins in the event. Montaño will compete on August 25.

Kara Winger, a two-time Olympian, will be competing in the women’s javelin throw. Winger, the current American record holder for her throw of 66.67m, has thrown over 60 meters on multiple occasions which contributed to her being a USA National Champion four years in a row. Winger finished 7th overall at the 2nd IAAF Continental Cup in September 2014. Most recently, Winger threw her second best javelin mark, throwing for 66.47m in May 2015 at the Longhorn Invitational in Austin, Texas. She will compete on August 28.

Sean Furey, a 2012 Olympian and 2010 U.S. National Champion javelin thrower, will participate in the men’s javelin throw. Furey is coming off a career best mark at the 2015 USA Outdoor Championships, having thrown the javelin 83.08m. As a result, Furey claimed the javelin title, his third American championship in the last six years. He will compete on August 24.

Russ Winger, currently the best double-event thrower in the U.S., will be competing in the discus throw. Winger, who recently qualified for his first World Team, has consistently been ranked among the top 20 athletes in the world in both the shot put and discus and ranked among the top 5 in the U.S. Winger is hoping to build off his momentum at the Pan American Games in July, where he received his first international medal, winning bronze for his discus throw of 62.64m. He will compete on August 27.

Sharon Day-Monroe will be coming into the World Championships after competing in the Heptathlon at the London Olympics. Day-Monroe has continued her success, winning both the USA Indoor and Outdoor Championships in 2014. This year, she was the USATF Outdoor heptathlon runner-up. Day-Monroe will compete on August 22 and 23.

Europe:

Christophe Lemaitre is the current 100m European Champion and French 100m and 200m record holder with respective times of 9:92 and 19:80. He had won silver medal on the 4x100m relay and bronze medal on 200m at the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Daegu, Korea.

Simona La Mantia is the 2011 European Indoor Champion in Triple Jump.

Antti Ruuskanen is competing in Javelin. He won the bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games

Australia

2012 Olympics 50K race walking silver and 2013 World Championships bronze medalist Jared Tallent will endeavor to go one better at the World Championships in Beijing. Jared will compete in both the 20k and 50k events.

2009 Discus Gold medalist Dani Samuels comes into the World Championships following a stellar season in 2015 Dani’s lead up form has been great and is certain to be a medal contender in Beijing.

2013 World Championships Women’s javelin silver medalist Kim Mickle will be chasing Gold in Beijing. Kim has been a consistent performer in the Diamond league in 2015 and will be one of the favorites for Gold

<Athletes supported by ASICS: footwear *> *as of Aug 14th, 2015