Within athletics, distance runners and trail runners are the closest to the public. After all, they share the start line, the course, and the finish line with amateur runners. Track athletes, on the other hand, are more accustomed to facing the crowd as if it were a stage. The stars of track and field live off performance, but they also enjoy adding something else: their own style.
Edwin Moses
A man who didn’t lose a race from August 1977 to June 1987 (9 years, 9 months, and 9 days), broke the world record four times, and even went on to win a medal in the world championships of bobsleigh. Yet he is also remembered for the sunglasses and gold chains he wore while competing in Seoul in 1988.
Ato Boldon
The sprinter from Trinidad and Tobago often stood in the shadow of some of the biggest names of the 1990s—Frankie Fredericks, Maurice Greene, Donovan Bailey, or Michael Johnson. In 2000, at the Sydney Olympic Games, he decided to make an impact with more than just his speed: his Oakley OVERTHETOP sunglasses. He wasn’t the only one, but he became the most visible representative of a piece of eyewear that would go down in history.
Vashti Cunningham
When you’ve been the United States high jump champion sixteen times, it’s no surprise that Nike includes you in its campaigns. What’s less common is for Vashti—daughter of legendary quarterback Randall Cunningham—to also appear in campaigns for brands unrelated to her sport. Interestingly, on the track she prefers to remain understated.
Florence Griffith
The most frequent reference when we talk about athletics and style: the woman who understood that every competition was also a spectacle. Nails, hair, and outfits designed for each occasion became the benchmark for women’s sprinting style, inspiring athletes like Gail Devers, Sha’Carri Richardson, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. And her influence went beyond track and field, crossing into other sports as well.
