Armand Duplantis: What are his world record-breaking ‘claw’ shoes?

Advancements in shoe technology have helped topple a number of world records in athletics since carbon fibre footwear became readily available.

Governing bodies have been trying to keep pace with advances in footwear technology and World Athletics updated their regulations in January 2022.

It stated shoes could not be used unless they were available to “any athletes participating in applicable competitions”, while it also had technical requirements for the thickness of the sole.

Since then records have continued to be broken. The women’s marathon world record has been broken four times since September 2023.

In the men’s event, nine out of the 10 fastest marathons in history have been run by athletes wearing carbon shoes.

Advances in technology have also been benefitting track athletes with a recent study by the University of Massachusetts, external claiming that Usain Bolt would have run 100m in 9.42 seconds in a pair of ‘super-spikes’.

Bolt still holds the men’s 100m world record of 9.58 seconds at the 2009 world championships in Berlin.

“Someone who continued after I retired was Shelly-Anne Fraser-Pryce and I saw what she did – she got faster with the spikes,” said Bolt ahead of Tokyo.

“I probably would have run way faster if I’d continued and if I knew that spikes would have got to that level maybe I would have, because it would have been great to compete at that level and running that fast.”

This article is the latest from BBC Sport’s Ask Me Anything team.