Latest news with #Xtep
Straits Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Xtep Hosts 10KM TIME TRIAL in Malaysia: 1,030 Elite and Mass Runners Pursue Personal Bests
PENANG, Malaysia, Aug. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading professional sportswear brand Xtep hosted a mass-participation "10KM TIME TRIAL" race in Penang, Malaysia on August 17th, with He Yong claiming victory in the Elite Category with a time of 34:29 and Ang Chee Yiang winning the Mass Category in 39:38. Leveraging its position as a leader in performance running footwear, Xtep established this event as Southeast Asia's first large-scale timed trial designed specifically for advanced runners seeking to break their personal records(PBs). This unique format attracted fierce competition, drawing elite athletes not only from across Malaysia but also from Indonesia, Singapore, Uganda, Kenya, and Taiwan, China. Amidst a growing global focus on healthy living and a surge in younger running enthusiasts, the sport is evolving from casual participation towards the pursuit of personal bests (PBs). This trend sees more people engaging deeply with professional athletics, where professionally timed trials are crucial. The Penang 10KM TIME TRIAL perfectly embodies this shift, providing a premier platform for runners to challenge their limits . Prior to the race, distinguished guests including Penang State Exco for Youth, Sports, and Health YB Daniel Gooi Zi Sen fired the starting gun to commence the competition. After all runners completed the course, YB Daniel Gooi Zi Sen delivered an inspiring speech, stating: "Penang is a land that nurtures sports talents, having produced world-class athletes including Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei and Datuk Nicol David, proving that dreams fueled by hard work know no bounds." The race featured a highly competitive field with participants ranging in age from 20 to 48, including professionals from various fields, among them five athletes capable of running sub-34 minutes for 10km, as well as national-level triathletes and ultramarathon champions. A large contingent of passionate recreational runners also took part, experiencing the thrill of competition. This intense pursuit of PBs and breakthroughs highlights the current surge in sports enthusiasm and the growing demand for professional gear that helps athletes perform their best. To meet runners' evolving needs, Xtep uses innovative technology to develop high-performance gear for athletes of all levels aiming to break their limits and achieve PBs. The shoes worn by He Yong were Xtep's new flagship product – the 160X7.0 Championship Edition Collection (featuring the high-performance 160X7.0 PRO and the standard 160X7.0). Equipped with a GT700 or T700 carbon plate and ACE+ midsole technology delivering over 85% energy return rate, this series provides explosive power for peak speed. To honor the outstanding performances of the top seven finishers, Xtep presented each athlete with a pair of 160X7.0 Championship Edition running shoes – recognizing elite performance with elite gear. This grand event was the highlight of Xtep's meticulously planned Malaysian activities for the global launch of its 160X7.0 Championship Edition Collection. The campaign began on August 16th with an exclusive Elite Appreciation Gathering at Xtep's first store in IOI Mall Puchong, Kuala Lumpur, where key opinion leaders and elite athletes had been among the first to experience the new products in depth. The following day (August 17th), the highly anticipated "10KM TIME TRIAL" large-scale competitive race took place in Penang. From the technological showcase in Kuala Lumpur to the real-world validation on the Penang course, the Xtep 160X7.0 Championship Edition Collection was successfully launched in Malaysia. This event demonstrates Xtep's growing expertise in road running and commitment to supporting athletes through professional technology. It highlights Xtep's focus on serving the road running community and promoting professional competition. Moving forward, Xtep will remain steadfastly focused on road running, leveraging its professional technology to help runners worldwide break through their limits.
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Sport
- Korea Herald
Xtep Hosts 10KM TIME TRIAL in Malaysia: 1,030 Elite and Mass Runners Pursue Personal Bests
PENANG, Malaysia, Aug. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading professional sportswear brand Xtep hosted a mass-participation "10KM TIME TRIAL" race in Penang, Malaysia on August 17th, with He Yong claiming victory in the Elite Category with a time of 34:29 and Ang Chee Yiang winning the Mass Category in 39:38. Leveraging its position as a leader in performance running footwear, Xtep established this event as Southeast Asia's first large-scale timed trial designed specifically for advanced runners seeking to break their personal records(PBs). This unique format attracted fierce competition, drawing elite athletes not only from across Malaysia but also from Indonesia, Singapore, Uganda, Kenya, and Taiwan, China. Amidst a growing global focus on healthy living and a surge in younger running enthusiasts, the sport is evolving from casual participation towards the pursuit of personal bests (PBs). This trend sees more people engaging deeply with professional athletics, where professionally timed trials are crucial. The Penang 10KM TIME TRIAL perfectly embodies this shift, providing a premier platform for runners to challenge their limits . Prior to the race, distinguished guests including Penang State Exco for Youth, Sports, and Health YB Daniel Gooi Zi Sen fired the starting gun to commence the competition. After all runners completed the course, YB Daniel Gooi Zi Sen delivered an inspiring speech, stating: "Penang is a land that nurtures sports talents, having produced world-class athletes including Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei and Datuk Nicol David, proving that dreams fueled by hard work know no bounds." The race featured a highly competitive field with participants ranging in age from 20 to 48, including professionals from various fields, among them five athletes capable of running sub-34 minutes for 10km, as well as national-level triathletes and ultramarathon champions. A large contingent of passionate recreational runners also took part, experiencing the thrill of competition. This intense pursuit of PBs and breakthroughs highlights the current surge in sports enthusiasm and the growing demand for professional gear that helps athletes perform their best. To meet runners' evolving needs, Xtep uses innovative technology to develop high-performance gear for athletes of all levels aiming to break their limits and achieve PBs. The shoes worn by He Yong were Xtep's new flagship product – the 160X7.0 Championship Edition Collection (featuring the high-performance 160X7.0 PRO and the standard 160X7.0). Equipped with a GT700 or T700 carbon plate and ACE+ midsole technology delivering over 85% energy return rate, this series provides explosive power for peak speed. To honor the outstanding performances of the top seven finishers, Xtep presented each athlete with a pair of 160X7.0 Championship Edition running shoes – recognizing elite performance with elite gear. This grand event was the highlight of Xtep's meticulously planned Malaysian activities for the global launch of its 160X7.0 Championship Edition Collection. The campaign began on August 16th with an exclusive Elite Appreciation Gathering at Xtep's first store in IOI Mall Puchong, Kuala Lumpur, where key opinion leaders and elite athletes had been among the first to experience the new products in depth. The following day (August 17th), the highly anticipated "10KM TIME TRIAL" large-scale competitive race took place in Penang. From the technological showcase in Kuala Lumpur to the real-world validation on the Penang course, the Xtep 160X7.0 Championship Edition Collection was successfully launched in Malaysia. This event demonstrates Xtep's growing expertise in road running and commitment to supporting athletes through professional technology. It highlights Xtep's focus on serving the road running community and promoting professional competition. Moving forward, Xtep will remain steadfastly focused on road running, leveraging its professional technology to help runners worldwide break through their limits.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Xtep posts record interim profit as China's marathon boom boosts sales of Saucony shoes
Xtep International Holdings' interim earnings surged to a record, as the sportswear maker and distributor of the Saucony brand of running shoes benefited from the new-found popularity of marathons and trail running in China. Advertisement Net profit rose to a record 913.6 million yuan (US$127.3 million) in the first half, 6.4 per cent more than the revised interim earnings last year, Xtep said in a statement on Monday. Sales increased 7.1 per cent to 6.84 billion yuan, from the restated revenue of 6.38 billion yuan last year. While Xtep's mass-market namesake brand contributed 88.5 per cent of the company's revenue, its professional segment – Saucony and Merrell – reported the sharpest sales growth, jumping 32.5 per cent to 785.1 million yuan. Interim operating profit from the two brands more than tripled to 78.6 million yuan, vindicating the 2023 move by the Xiamen-based company to take full control of the brands' distribution in China. Xtep's 'professional-to-mass' influence has been successful in several of China's major marathon races, giving the company the drive to 'maximise the synergies' between the mass-market and high-end brands, chairman and CEO Ding Shuipo said during a post-earnings press conference. Ding Shuipo, Chairman and CEO of Xtep International Holdings Limited, during a press conference on May 6, 2019, in Hong Kong. Photo: Nora Tam 'I believe Xtep has a lot of resources and fundamental advantages in this area, whether it's in terms of speed, positioning or functionality,' Ding said. Advertisement
CNA
31-07-2025
- Business
- CNA
Once back of the pack, Chinese running shoes now look to surge ahead in Singapore market
SINGAPORE: At the start of the decade, they were either unheard of or dismissed and disregarded as inferior to the likes of Nike, Adidas, New Balance and Asics. But along with a broader turning of the tide that has seen made-in-China products lose their stigma, Chinese running shoes are increasingly becoming mainstream - and becoming a hit for their perceived value in more ways than one. In particular demand are Chinese 'super shoes', which are high-performance running shoes featuring technology like a carbon plate that propels runners forward. Although he only started running seriously at the start of 2025, 32-year-old Singaporean Justin Lim already owns six pairs of shoes from Chinese brands such as Xtep, Qiaodan and BMAI. He was introduced to these brands by influencers on Chinese social media platform Douyin. At first, it was the price. In March, he got his first pair of trainers online for about S$60 (US$46) – about half the cost of a similar trainer from any other 'established' brand outside of China. But what really surprised him was the quality of the shoe. It lasted him 800km, before he bought the same model again. 'For the price, it lived up to the quality," said Mr Lim, who is an army regular. "And the fact that there are so many people in China wearing it; I could trust it." CHINESE EXPANSION Following the COVID-19 pandemic, marathon events have surged in China, with the nation hosting in 2024 alone nearly 750 road running events drawing over 7 million runners. Coupled with rising purchasing power, it paved the way for domestic growth in the Chinese running shoe market. The brands then turned their attention to the region. At the end of 2023, the Singapore Runners Club (SRC) - one of the country's largest, with over 15,000 members in a private Facebook group - was approached by Chinese brands to promote their products. 'They wanted to break into the Singapore market, and they approached us for some kind of leverage to push their branding into Singapore,' said club founder Eugene Beh. The brands Anta and Li-Ning began by offering discounts to members of the running club, and also gave out shoes to some of them to post on social media. Mr Beh added that SRC has also worked with Qiaodan and will be doing so with Xtep as well in the coming months. Promotion of these shoes, along with their lower prices and perceived equivalent quality to more established names, has led to higher take-up of Chinese brands among club members, said the founder. 'When we run in a group, as a runner, I'm curious about people's shoes; that's where I noticed that there's a shift from the Western shoes to the Chinese shoes,' said Mr Beh. One way is in how runners talk about their latest gear. Instead of referring to Nike models, they have been dropping lingo and terms related to Qiaodan's Feiying, Li-Ning's Feidian and BMAI's Jingtan among others. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Singapore Runners Club (@singaporerunnersclub) DOUBTS QUASHED Not all runners, however, have been willing to dip their feet into Chinese products. There are those in SRC who have stuck to the household names, primarily due to the belief that they have a more established track record. 'There is a minor group of runners in our club loyal to Western brands, it's a small percentage (who) feel that these brands are tried and tested,' said Mr Beh. Other runners, like competitive marathoner Giebert Foo, also admitted to an initial perception of Chinese shoes as being of lower quality and durability. But the 34-year-old public servant's curiosity was whetted about three years ago when several friends started to don Chinese super shoes. Light research showed that some of these shoes could be obtained at about S$150 to S$200, and with his friends insisting they were comparable to Nike and Adidas offerings, he was compelled to give it a go. Super shoes from more established brands typically retail between S$300 and S$400. Mr Foo found Chinese super shoes to be more 'aggressive' – runner parlance for a shoe propelling them forward with more force with every step. He said that around 90 per cent of his friends own Chinese super shoes now, up from half of them back in 2022. Some of Singapore's top runners have also had their racing performances boosted by Chinese brands. This reason alone made the switch from Nike super shoes to Qiaodan ones about three years ago a 'no-brainer' for Mr Darren Southcott, who holds the fastest marathon timing by a Singapore resident so far this year. He said about 60 per cent of runners from his club, Singapore Shufflers, have at least one pair of Chinese running shoes. At the start of the decade, almost no one was wearing them. The 33-year-old added that the high prices set by more established brands were unjustified, given that the shoes are likely also made in China or surrounding regions. 'A lot of Western brands have their shoes produced in Asia as well … These big brands could sell shoes a bit cheaper, but they know people will buy them at a more expensive price,' he said. "It's purely marketing, putting a fancy branding on it.' LOCAL BUSINESSES LATCH ON Some Chinese brands have already set up shop in Singapore: Anta opened its first store in 2023 and has 11 islandwide, while Li-Ning opened its first of two stores at the end of 2024. CNA has contacted Anta and Li-Ning for comments on their expansion plans in Singapore. Meanwhile local sports retailers, too, have caught on and are looking to bring in more Chinese shoes. Key Power Sports founder Robert Lu was sent a pair of Xtep shoes in 2022 to try out, and immediately noted that they were just as good as the bigger brands. 'From there, I had confidence in myself to bring in the brand, because when I bring in anything I'll try it myself,' he said. Mr Lu said sales have been growing since, in the region of a 50 per cent bump over the last two years. He said the quality of the shoes speak for themselves, and mirrors the rise of other Chinese products outside of running. 'For example, many years back they talked about (electric vehicle brand) BYD and say that it is a copycat; but now when you look at Chinese brands - their design, development and quality has already caught up with the international level,' he said, pointing to BYD becoming the best-selling car brand in Singapore. Operations manager of Pangu Running, Mr Willy Tan, said the same. The local brand opened a physical store at Kallang Wave Mall in June, after starting out as an online shop just months earlier. One of the main brands stocked there is BMAI. Mr Tan said sales of BMAI shoes and apparel to walk-in customers has gone up by 30 per cent, compared to when they were online-only. Asked if he felt threatened by the growing presence of Chinese brands - as seen in the local food-and-beverage scene - Mr Tan said Singapore was "fair game".
The Wire
09-07-2025
- Business
- The Wire
Xtep's First Elite Runner Program Nears Application Deadline: Professional Running Gear to Power PB Breakthroughs
XIAMEN, China, July 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Xtep, a leading Chinese performance sportswear brand, announces that applications for its inaugural global Elite Runner Program will close on July 14. The first edition of the program kicks off at Shenyang Marathon in China on September 14, offering elite runners worldwide exclusive access to premier marathons. The program provides world-class athletes with a unique opportunity to pursue personal bests (PBs) at premier marathons. Beyond this, Xtep supports elite runners by sponsoring professional-grade Xtep race apparel & footwear, and covering entry fees and accommodations. Selected participants will also receive an exclusive tour of Xtep Innovation Center to experience firsthand advanced technologies powering the brand's performance running footwear. This initiative aims to provide elite runners with the platform and resources to achieve PB breakthroughs and gain greater exposure. It also fosters connections among top athletes for sharing experiences. Following Shenyang Marathon, the program continues with another three marquee marathons in China: Taiyuan (September 21), Xi'an (October 19), and Changsha (October 26). Beyond empowering elite athletes, Xtep recognizes that the running community's essence lies in connection—a truth quantified by global research showing 74% of runners prioritize social bonds when running with others (World Athletics, 2022). To serve this spectrum of needs—from record-chasing professionals to community-seeking enthusiasts—the XRC Program integrates four strategic pillars: • Elite Runner Program: Extending invitations to elite runners globally to compete in China's premier marathons, Xtep directly supports their pursuit of speed and career-defining performances, by sponsoring top-tier competition gear to empower PB achievements on competitive racecourses. • Regional Podium Program : Xtep equips elite runners with professional-grade race gear to compete in regional or World Athletics-certified global marathons, making them eligible for Xtep's record-breaking bonuses. • X-RUN Camp: Providing professional coaching and structured training to support athletes during race preparation. • XRC Activities: Fostering community through fun running activities, inclusive community runs, and knowledge-sharing platforms. In parallel, Xtep continues to execute on its international growth strategy as the official apparel sponsor of the upcoming Hanoi Marathon in Vietnam this November, underscoring its commitment to the Southeast Asian market. The event organizers are currently recruiting certified pacers, with details of a dedicated training camp to be announced in October. Participants can follow updates on the event's official channels, including its Facebook page (@Standard Chartered Hanoi Marathon - Heritage Race) and the Pacer Recruitment Post. Through the XRC Program, Xtep is building a dynamic, athlete-first running platform to support elite athletes, engage everyday runners, and partner with races worldwide. By bridging competition and community, training and racing, as well as connecting China to the global running scene, Xtep is helping define the future of the sport. Looking ahead, the brand remains focused on growing the global running culture through performance-driven products and innovative runner services. About XTEP XTEP Group, one of the leading sports brands in China, was founded in 1987 and officially established as the brand XTEP in 2001. The Group was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on June 3, 2008 ( In 2019, the Group launched its global strategy, incorporating Saucony, Merrell, K•SWISS, and Palladium to become a leading international sports group with multiple sports brands. For more about XTEP, please visit (Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PRNewswire and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.).
