Swapna Barman gets customised six-toed footwear

Asian Games 2018 gold medallist Swapna Burman, who had been battling pain by squeezing her six-toes into regular shoes, finally received customised footwear by Adidas on Friday.

Adidas took notice of Swapna and decided to go an extra mile to put an end to her struggle of finding the right shoes. The sportswear manufacturer took the heptathlete to their Athlete Services Lab in Herzogenaurach, Germany for a detailed footwear analysis.

Since the visit, the Adidas specialists worked extensively on multiple prototypes and subsequent feedback from Swapna to arrive at a long-term solution for the six-toed athlete from Jalpaiguri.

The brand has been pushing boundaries on the technological front and bringing innovative solutions to help elevate the performances of athletes. After launching their 4D technology (3D printed) in recent years and introducing new offerings under the industry defining cushioning technology boost, this was a challenge of a different kind for Adidas team to address.

Now having helped Swapna with customised pairs for all seven disciplines of Heptathlon, Adidas hopes she can progress further in her performances without any additional barriers and suffering due to her footwear needs.

On receiving her new shoes, the heptathlete said, "I am so excited to finally have these pairs. I have already started training in these and I know from here on I can focus entirely on improving my performances without worrying about any pain. The journey from here should get easier. I would like to thank the Adidas team in India and at the Athlete Services Lab for helping me with this solution - I never dreamt in the past that I would have such unique pairs customised to my feet. I shall continue to work hard and keep moving towards my goal of winning honours for the country."

Adidas signed Swapna after her success at the Asian Games in a bid to support her in her journey to become an even more successful athlete on the global stage. In the past, the Adidas Athlete Services lab has hosted the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma who were provided with customised footwear to avoid injury concerns and enhance help with their performances.

Apart from Swapna, Adidas recently signed athletes Hima Das and Nikhat Zareen amongst others to use sports as a catalyst to bring positive change both on and off the sporting track for India's talented youth.