After a Century, How Will This Sports-Tech Pioneer Continue to Lead…

Every late September, runners' attention unfailingly turns to Berlin, eager to see what surprises this fast course will bring — andthis year adidas, a sponsor of the Berlin Marathon, led the way with a surprise — bringing a HOME OF INNOVATION experience event to its global headquarters.The event showcased the latest sports technologies and cutting‑edge equipment applied across running, football, and cross‑training, and quickly became one of the hottest topics of discussion.

People often say the future of innovation belongs to the young. How a brand that began as a small shoe factory like adidas has managed to remain at the forefront of sport‑technology innovation across a century of history is something we set out to discover during this visit to the headquarters.

Shining moments of innovation in the brand's history

adidas founder Adolf Dassler showed exceptional craftsmanship and creativity from the moment he and his brother established the Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory in 1924. In their partnership, Adolf was responsible for product making and innovation. That gift for innovation later became embedded in adidas's brand DNA and created many important moments in the history of world sport.

At the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, German athlete Lina Radke won the first‑ever women's 800m wearing spikes specially crafted by Adolf Dassler. At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, again in Dassler‑made spikes, Jesse Owens famously won four gold medals at a single Games, using speed to shatter racial prejudice.

On midsole technology, BOOST redefined what outstanding cushioning and energy return can be, and it witnessed Kimetto take the human marathon to SUB203.

Fast‑forward to 2026: Savi became the first to break the 2‑hour barrier in the marathon, and the ADIZERO ADIOS PRO EVO 3 on his feet — with its distinctive carbon ring design — again opened a new world of propulsion‑structure innovation in racing shoes.

The trident of innovation — the Three Stripes aiming at the Olympic year

With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics approaching, adidas has once again pulled out a "big move." At the HOME OF INNOVATION event we saw the brand's ambition to lead the future — its innovation "arsenal" is well stocked.

Based on deep insights into athlete performance,adidas has built a comprehensive performance‑assistance system centered on speed, cooling, and power support.

For a long time,speed and lightness have been tags closely associated with ADIZERO.After the huge success of the ADIZERO ADIOS PRO EVO 3, its technological achievements are expanding beyond road running into broader areas. First came a major weight‑saving "legacy": at the Home of Innovation, sub‑100‑gram football boots and track spikes were unveiled. Spectators picked them up and, weighing them in hand, praised their lightness.

Even more exciting,the carbon ring used in the ADIOS PRO EVO 3 is not only fitted on the ADIOS PRO 5 — letting more people experience Savi's "same tech" — it also appears in track spikes.When the original carbon plate position is replaced by more foam material and the foam volume under the forefoot increases, the shoe's comfort and propulsion naturally improve in tandem.

Beyond the carbon ring,Adidas also unveiled a milestone innovation — the ADIZERO GEARSHIFT CONCEPT.It breaks the fate of a shoe having only one “personality”:By using a “gear” lever on the shoe’s side or operating it via a watch, you can quickly change the carbon-plate characteristics, enabling a free switch between two different stiffness settings.This way, when road conditions vary or a runner’s condition changes, they can immediately choose the stiffness setting that fits.

If “fast” is the most intuitive pursuit in athletic performance, then cooling and structural support are Adidas’s insights beyond pure performance.

The Climacool line uses fabric innovation and structural design to help athletes maintain optimal body temperature and unlock peak competitive condition. To that end,Adidas has built a complete cooling “system”: cooling vests, insulated jackets, neck-cooling rings, cooling shoe covers, and cooling slides.It’s fair to say they’ve armed “air-conditioning” from head to toe.

At the event, an athlete ran on a treadmill wearing a Climacool 3D vest. A thermometer showed that areas covered by the fabric registered lower temperatures than exposed areas, demonstrating strong cooling performance.

F1 driver Kimi Antonelli’s comments confirmed this. During races, wearing a cooling vest containing a special freeze gel under an insulated jacket, he said, “Slowing the rise of body temperature is crucial to performing at your best inside the car.” Every degree reduced adds another chance for an athlete to reach peak form.

Compared with temperature, the role of strength and support is often overlooked by athletes.Adidas TECHFIT, informed by biomechanical research, designs precise support zones and a close-fitting structure so athletes can maintain movement control and efficiency when fatigue sets in.

The most iconic TECHFIT moment came at this year’s London Marathon, when Kejelcha, wearing the TECHFIT+ Endurance Suit one-piece compression suit, achieved the feat of a sub-2 debut marathon. People were attracted to its cool look, but only Kejelcha can feel how much a 1% improvement in running economy helps an elite athlete.

Beyond running, TECHFIT is also applied to cross-training and HYROX products. HYROX elite athlete Camilla Massa said, “I like the support I get on the back of my thighs when I wear TECHFIT. The compression helps me stand up from deep squats better.”

Where does innovation come from

After the ADIZERO ADIOS PRO EVO 3 delivered an earth-shattering performance, many would normally expect Adidas’s innovation to slow in the short term. However, judging from this House of Innovation, “nuclear-level” breakthrough products will continue to appear one after another, and Adidas shows through action that “nothing is impossible.”

So, what is the reason Adidas’s innovation keeps coming continuously?

During our visit to headquarters,we repeatedly heard “only provide the best for athletes.” This belief drives Adidas to meticulously seek athletes’ full-spectrum needs and, once it finds the right direction, to keep exploring.

Thus, at the House of Innovation we saw a reborn “successor” to the 4D FWD. Although the 4D FWD has an outstanding mechanical structure, it was previously restricted from wide use by weight and the material’s hardness/softness. This timeBy perfectly combining 3D printing technology with supercritical materials, the shoe maintains the 4D FWD propulsion principle while achieving an ultra-lightweight construction.As the technology matures, it is believed it could become Sawei's new weapon for further breakthroughs.

We also saw that adidas's attention to athletes' needs covers the full spectrum before, during, and after exercise. The HYPERBOOST RECOVERY 360 has become the immediate shoe adidas athletes put on after races and training. The HYPERBOOST's soft, ultra-light feel has been described by athletes as "a cloud on the feet."

Second, they maintain close, two-way constructive communication with athletes.Just as founder Adolf Dassler always rushed to the front lines of competition to learn athletes' data and needs firsthand, adidas's Project R.A.P. (Radical Athlete Perception) continues that legacy. It efficiently and accurately collects athlete data and uses 3D printing to produce customized shoes tailored to athletes' foot shapes. Athletes reciprocate by providing feedback on their experience and eagerly serving as "shoe testers."

On this visit to headquarters, what impressed me most was the ADIOS PRO 5 test shoe that Sawei wore. For Sawei—who already has the race-proven ADIOS PRO EVO 3 as a competition staple—being willing to spend so much time and effort testing and providing feedback on the ADIOS PRO 5 is definitely a great boon for adidas running-shoe users.

These fruitful outcomes also stem from a permissive culture of innovation. After current CEO Bjørn Gulden took office, he said, "I am a sports romantic." That statement underscores the company's sport-first development while giving wider room for romanticism in innovation and creativity.

Since then, a chemical reaction gradually occurred: traditional products take 18–24 months from lab to market, and in a talk by Nic Galway, Senior Vice President of Global Creative,a product's timeline from concept to final form can be compressed to 5 months.This speed undoubtedly enhances the competitiveness of product innovation.

Subsequently, local empowerment has also allowed innovation to flourish. In recent years,adidas has accelerated its localization in China— establishing a Shanghai Creative Center to speed up the development of localized creative products. As each region releases its own energy, the brand's creativity will undoubtedly see an explosion.

This adidas "House of Innovation" felt like a roadshow to the future; it showed people what surprises may await in the coming years and revealed the brand's deep reserves in innovation. All of this is adidas's greatest confidence for continuing to lead industry trends on the path of innovation.

What excites people even more is that adidas continues to create the future of innovation—what surprises will appear a year from now? Let's wait and see together.

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#Which adidas piece of gear do you think is the most innovative#

Text/Editor: HP

Image source: Pao Ye Da Bao Zha

Visual: Max

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After a Century, How Will This Sports-Tech Pioneer Continue to Lead the Future?