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Asics running shoes are making an unexpected comeback

The Japanese shoe company’s turnaround looks destined to become a business-school case study.

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In a three-year plan that began in 2021 after changes at the top, Asics worked on big technical improvements to the shoes themselves.

In a three-year plan that began in 2021 after changes at the top, Asics worked on big technical improvements to the shoes themselves.

PHOTO: PEXELS

Leo Lewis

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On the morning of Feb 27, five days before the 2024 Tokyo Marathon, the sportswear supremo and race sponsor, Asics, was forced to issue a formal apology over something it might have embraced. 

An illustrated map of the marathon course, printed on thousands of Tokyo Marathon T-shirts, showed the showcase event ending at a “funish” line in front of the Imperial Palace.

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