sniffing rice shoes
Yes, this really is 2004 Olympics photo of Mizuki Noguchi sniffing her “rice-tech” shoes after she won the gold medal in the women’s marathon in Athens.
Ready to run in Beijing with rice on her feet - Olympics
ESPN - AP - June 13, 2008, TOKYO . . . Japanese marathoner Mizuki Noguchi won the Olympic gold medal four years ago in Athens… now will head to Beijing with an updated version of the rice-tech shoes that helped her win in Athens. Developed by Japanese sportswear maker Asics, the soles of the shoes are made of polyester and ground-up rice husks that absorb water faster. According to the company, they provide up to 10 percent better traction than the competition...more...
According to the The Daily Yomiuri newspaper, “The top contenders for marathon gold in Beijing, Mizuki Noguchi and Paula Radcliffe, have been playing psychological games with each other, Noguchi telling the world she has a pair of ‘magic’ shoes made of rice husks and Radcliffe trialing a hi-tech antipollution mask.”
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