Italian international men's gold medalist Stefano Baldini and Japanese international women’s marathon gold medalist Mizuki Noguchi wore ASICS' marathon shoes. 3. Saori Yoshida, 2012. The following year, in 1967, Bowerman and Onitsuka wanted to change the name of their heavily praised release, and with the Mexico Olympics arriving in 1968, Bowerman decided to change the name to ‘TG-Mexcio’, which promoted some of the adverts for the sneaker to include the word ‘Mexico’ on the lateral side of the shoe.

ASICS' founder, Kihachiro Onitsuka, believed being active creates a better lifestyle. Onitsuka lived to inspire, support and encourage everyone to embrace an active lifestyle. He wanted his brand to be accessible for all sports consumers ranging from beginners to professionals. The story of Kihachiro Onitsuka A similar appraisal for the OG silhouette was seen in Seinfeld with the character George Costanza opting to wear the sneaker regularly. Finally, in 1974, the court case between Nike and Onitsuka Tiger was passed in favour of Nike, allowing them to continue with the ‘Cortez’ name, but ruling that both brands were still able to create a product with the same silhouette. As such, Tiger changed the name of their variant to “Tiger Corsair” which is still available today.During this time period, ASICS created innovative products used by professional athletes around the world. ASICS champions in the 2000’s 1. Naoko Takahashi, 2000. Acting almost as a final jab at adidas, the Cortez name was derived from the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes who led an expedition which brought the fall of the Aztec Empire in the 1500s.

While Nike hasn't made as much of a point of celebrating the anniversary of its oldest silhouette, other brands that are collaborating with Nike are set to release projects that are worth taking note of. Countless colourways and iterations of the Cortez have been released over the years, including a magnitude of colourways and materials as well as other combinations similar to Sir Elton John’s mashup with Fragment creating the Roshe Cortez in 2015 which combined the Cortez and now infamous Roshe Run and even a high top chukka variant of the Cortez releasing the same year.However, that isn’t to say that Nike isn’t gearing up to celebrate the classic model in the latter half of 2022. Having re-released the women's ‘Señorita Cortez’ earlier this year as well as sharing official looks at the Nike SB ‘BRSB’ (AKA Blue Ribbon SB) which is a clear nod to Nike’s origins with the OG Cortez colourway and silhouette, it may simply be a matter of time.

Despite the name change, Onitsuka Tiger does still use the ‘Mexico’ name in their ‘Mexico 66’ running sneaker, perhaps a nod to the original 1966 TG-24. For one of the company's first shoe models, Onitsuka found inspiration in a dish of octopus salad. He compared the shoe's grip to the suction power of an octopus tentacle. With this strength, the shoe allowed athletes to elevate their game. It was named "Onitsuka Tiger".Takahashi, a Japanese long-distance runner, wore ASICS Marathon SORTIE JAPAN to win a gold medal in the international women's marathon. 2. Stefano Baldini and Muzuki Noguchi, 2004. ASICS grew from a two-person team to one of the world’s most influential sports brands. ASICS was built on the idea of “Anima sana in corpore sano,” a Latin phrase which translates to "a sound mind in a sound body". This philosophy became a legacy that remains an essential part of the brand to this day. The sneaker played such a huge role in the film that they have since become synonymous with it much like the Air Jordan 4s worn by Spike Lee in the 1989 basketball film ‘Do The Right Thing’.

During the late ‘60s, the Cortez wasn’t made of leather as we know it today. During its time being manufactured by Blue Ribbon Sports and Tiger, the shoe was made out of nylon resin that aimed to create a lightweight feel that still provides the ample support needed for a long-distance running sneaker. In an advert seen from this time by BRS (Blue Ribbon Sports), they call the technology ‘Swoosh Fiber’. While this is not mentioned as an inspiration behind the Nike ‘Swoosh’ we all know today, the name does seem to reference the iconic Nike logo in a way that seems too close to be a coincidence. Onitsuka Co. was originally founded in 1949, later merging with GTO Co. and JELENK Co. in 1977. Following the merger, the company officially formed “ASICS”. Today, under the umbrella of the ASICS company are the ASICS and Onitsuka Tiger brands. ASICS historical timeline ASICS partnered with Serbian tennis professional, Novak Djokovic to launch an exclusive new tennis shoe, the Court FF NOVAK. The passing of Kihachiro Onitsuka, 2007. Since its release, the Nike Cortez has seemed to dip out of favour from the mainstream with attention moving to basketball sneakers and Air Max as time passed. Nevertheless, Nike has been able to keep the spirit of its very first silhouette alive, with many still holding it in high regard. Few shoes have created such a seismic shift in the sneaker business. A court later decreed that both Onitsuka and Nike could sell the Cortez model. Nike retained the shoe’s original name, while Tiger dubbed their version the ‘Corsair’.By 1975, three variants of the Nike Cortez were in production including the now-classic leather version as well as a suede variant and nylon finish - the nylon weighing in at around 0.34 KG, ‘the worst lightest running shoe’ as proclaimed by Nike at the time. However, Onitsuka Tiger decided that they weren’t happy with the name and once again made a change, this time looking to opt for the name ‘Aztec’, taking its inspiration from ancient Mexican history during the Aztec era. Despite the sneaker receiving its third name in two years, Onitsuka ran into further troubles, this time from one of their competitors, adidas. Who is Kihachiro Onitsuka? Onitsuka was a military veteran who eventually decided to venture into the shoe business. He began making footwear for top athletes under the business name "Onitsuka Co." This company started small with just a handful of employees and initially sought to produce basketball shoes. This product was worn in various professional sporting events, thus paving the way for Onitsuka to build a global sporting empire. Are ASICS and Onitsuka the same company?