One of the more surprising stories to come out of WTCS Abu Dhabi earlier this month was that Gustav Iden faced a shoe protest after the race.
His shoes were suspected of being in violation of World Triathlon’s new rules. As a result, they were sent to World Athletics for testing.
At the start of this year, World Triathlon updated their rulebook to address the rise of so-called “super shoes”. In doing so, they aligned their policy with that of World Athletics.
The primary aspects that were affected included the use of customised shoes and prototype designs as well as establishing control of the use of certain shoe designs.
Put simply, an athlete is not permitted to race in shoes that are not available to the general public, nor can athletes race in shoes with a sole thicker than 40mm or that contain more than one carbon plate.
Had Iden been found to have violated the new shoe rules, he would have been disqualified from WTCS Abu Dhabi and lost any points received. As he finished 52nd in the race, that would not have amounted to a significant number of points.
Nevertheless, it would have set a problematic start to Iden’s season.
However, Iden’s shoes have now been cleared. He is therefore free to wear his Abu Dhabi race shoes going forward.
The confirmation that the protest was dismissed is available in the WTCS Abu Dhabi results here.
