American sprint legend Justin Gatlin and ex-Bahamas sprinter Rodney Green believe a 4x400m relay showdown among shoe companies would be won hands down by New Balance sprinters.
American sprint legend Justin Gatlin and former Bahamas sprinter Rodney Green believe New Balance would win hands down a 4x400m showdown among the various shoe companies.
New Balance has some of the top sprinters on their roaster such as three-time Olympics champion Gabby Thomas, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the 400m hurdles Olympics champion, world record holder and Femke Bol, the world 400m hurdles champion, and Olympics 400m bronze medalist Natalie Kaczmarek.
It is for this reason that the two feel other shoe companies such as Adidas and Nike would see dust at such an event since they do not have the talents on their roster to match the aforementioned.
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“For the female side, I just know in the 4x400m, everybody else [is] losing. New Balance have Femke Bol, Sydney McLaughlin and Gabby Thomas and they have Kendall Ellis, they [are] done. Whatever they put up, they are not beating New Balance,” Green said on the Ready Set Go podcast.
“Can you imagine watching Sydney hand it to Femke or Femke hand it to Sydney? And the gap they create, they are probably going to make a 100m gap,” Gatlin weighed in before Greed added: “I don’t care what Adidas, Nike or any of those companies assemble, they are not beating that.”
Their sentiments generated varied views among fans with some feeling that Adidas would give the New Balance crew a run for their money due to the strong cast they have.
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“Also [you] seem to forget Adidas has [Marileidy] Paulino (Olympics 400m champion), Shaunae Miller-Uibo (former Olympics 400m champion) and Brittany Wilson,” said a fan who thinks it would not be an all-New Balance affair.
“I've said for YEARS they should make track meets for the shoe teams,” another one weighed in.
“Why don’t we have a shoe wars meet? Man that would be dope.”
The New Balance have made major inroads into track and field, challenging giants like Nike, Adidas and Puma, and have some of the world’s top athletes endorsing their spikes.