It was 1996. Earth’s greatest athletes were descending upon Atlanta for the Summer Olympics, but perhaps none was dominating his sport quite like Michael Johnson, known across the globe as the Fastest Man in the World. With millions of eyes watching Johnson attempt to win the 200m and 400m events, two of the Summer Games’ headline races, his sponsor, Nike, wanted to create something memorable for Johnson; simultaneously look-at-me, yet befitting the world’s biggest stage: gold shoes.
In 2015, with two decades’ worth of hindsight, it’s safe to say Nike succeeded. Johnson went on to win gold in the event, and the shoes are one of the most enduring memories from the Atlanta Games. But how did the iconic track spikes actually come to be?
Famed design Tobie Hatfield spoke at the University of Oregon recently, and he offered insight into how one of the most famous athletic shoes in history went from conception to execution. Check out the full video below, courtesy of the University of Oregon (ahem, Go Ducks) Sports Product Management program.
The post Watch: Tobie Hatfield Recalls Michael Johnson’s Gold Shoes appeared first on NikeBlog.com.