ASICS

SPORTS SHOE REVOLUTION FROM THE FAR EAST

It was the year 1949, when Kihachiro Onitsuka at the age of only 31 years started to revolutionize the sports shoe market with his company "Onitsuka Tiger" from Japan. The Kobe-based company was initially to make a name for itself with basketball shoes, but has since developed into one of the leading manufacturers for running shoes with scientific expertise in this field: ASICS was born.

ASICS INSTITUTE OF SPORTS SCIENCE - DIALOGUE & RESEARCH

The company's philosophy that good sports shoes are only created in close dialogue with the athlete quickly led to initial success in running. The cornerstone for the sudden popularity in the USA was the victory of an athlete in "Tiger shoes" at the famous Boston Marathon in 1951. In addition, there was a fabulous world record in the marathon in 1967 and Olympic victories in indoor sports such as volleyball by Tiger athletes.

Building on these successes, ASICS developed the Institute of Sport Science in 1985 - today renamed in "ASICS Research & Human Resources Development Center" (ASICS R&D Center) - a research and training center in Nishi Ward, Kobe. Together with international top athletes, the center works on the continuous further development of trend-setting sports shoe and clothing technologies.

AT A GLANCE

• Founding year: 1949
• Founder: Kihachiro Onitsuka
• Company headquarters: Kobe (Präfektur Hyogo), Japan
• Number of employees: more than 7.200
• Annual turnover: 3.56 billion EUR
• Website: asics.com
• Sports: Running, Training, Tennis

GOOD REASONS FOR ASICS

• Technology: ASICS accesses one of the most modern research and development centers ("Research Institute of Sports Science") in the sports business.
• Awards: ASICS running shoes are regularly among the best of their year in tests.
• Professional input: With the Frontrunner program ASICS offers a community with more than 700 professional athletes worldwide who share their knowledge with others.

POPULAR ASICS SHOE MODELS

• ASICS GEL KAYANO: Comfortable and extremely stable running shoe with good suspension, improved and modified several times, now in its 26th generation.
• ASICS GEL NIMBUS: A classic among neutral running shoes: softly cushioned with GEL and FlyteFoam - the latest model is the GEL Nimbus 21.
• ASICS GEL CUMULUS: The "little brother" of the Nimbus series, with excellent inoculation properties - an optimal training shoe.
• ASICS GEL GT 2000: As the "little brother" of the Kayano, the GT2000 stands for optimal cushioning on asphalt or dirt roads - combined with excellent support characteristics and stability.
• ASICS GEL-SONOMA: Light and comfortable trail running shoe with good grip. Available with or without GORE-TEX membrane.

ASICS FOR RUNNING, TRAINING & TENNIS

The merger with GTO Sports Nets & Sportswear in 1977 resulted in the formation of ASICS Corporation, which subsequently set further milestones in product development. Unlike other global players in the sports shoe market, ASICS therefore established itself primarily as a running sports brand. ASICS perfected the fitting accuracy of its running shoes by measuring 20,000 athlete feet. ASICS also developed running shoes especially for women as early as the 1970s. With the invention of the GEL damping system in 1985, which still forms the basis for all modern running shoes today with its diversion from vertical impact force to the horizontal plane, ASICS once again proved its pioneering status in research and development.

With the GEL Kayano (1994), the GEL Cumulus and the GEL Nimbus, the company has succeeded in the past decades in developing what are probably the most highly regarded and sold running shoe series of all time. Parallel to this specialization in functional sports shoes, the company also expanded its entire product range, so that today you are also well advised with the functional premium sportswear from ASICS for the areas of running, tennis and training.

ASICS PRODUCTS FOR AMBITIOUS ATHLETES

In addition to ambitious hobby athletes, world-class athletes also trust the brand with the "tiger stripes" on their shoes to this day. Above all Ironman and triathlon Olympic champion Jan Frodeno, who not only has to push his own limits in his sport, but also subjects his material to enormous stress tests, is enthusiastic about the fruitful cooperation with ASICS. Also the 16-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic also relies on tennis shoes from ASICS. Together with the company, he completely tailored his current shoe to the needs of a tennis player. In plain language, maximum stability, lightness and flexibility were combined to optimally support his agile playing style.

Over the years, the company said goodbye to another motto of the company founder Onitsukas, "feeling beats appearance", without losing sight of the optimal function of its articles. Today ASICS is therefore increasingly relying on a more modern design for its sportswear in order to also take account of the current athleisure trend. Nowadays you will find numerous ASICS products in the streetwear category, while others benefit from the general retro wave in the fashion scene. Above all the cult sneaker Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66, which can currently be found more often on the street than in the sports hall. In fact, Mexico 66 is the brand's best-selling shoe, despite the success of ASICS Nimbus or ASICS Cumulus. So it's no wonder that ASICS recently won a well-trained style icon for its action-packed campaigns with actor Elyas M'Barek.

ASICS AT KELLER SPORTS

In ASICS online shop on KELLER SPORTS you'll find many high-quality ASICS articles, which optimally support your sportive performance. Whether running, tennis or fitness training, with ASICS products you are perfectly equipped and will always be able to call up top performance.