elaine-thompson.jpg
Raise your hand if you don't need spikes to dominate. Getty Images

At the Anniversary Games staged in London, Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson was feeling uncomfortable in her spikes. She decided to try something different, lacing up her trainers, and proceeding to win the 100-meter dash in 10.94 seconds. Check it out.

Thompson cited discomfort and injury concerns as her reason for wearing the trainers. She was running into a headwind as well, which makes the time all the more impressive. In the Diamond League events she participated in, Thompson went 7-7.

For the record, Thompson's shoes are the ones on the right.

Most sprinters prefer spikes due to their light weight and the way that they keep sprinters on the balls of their feet. Trainers are more comfortable, but they weigh more. At times they may be spiked, as Thompson's are in the photo, but it's generally to simulate how the track will feel on the spikes and they don't offer much in the way of grip. Runners will occasionally move from spikes to flats, which are a "weight class" above spikes, but Thompson skipped over flats and went to trainers. Trainers are ideal for runners nursing injuries, which was Thompson's reasoning for going to the them.