Research, testing, innovation. This is the paradigm followed by a brand indelibly connected to the sports imaginary, Diadora. Born back in 1948 in Caerano di San Marco, almost 80 years after its genesis Diadora is weaving an increasingly dense network of connections with recognized athletes, as well as new prodigies, and focusing its vision on the creation of futuristic products.

On April 22nd we took part in the Innovation Summit, a special event organized at the Arsenale dello Sport in Venice. A day that allowed us to celebrate the path Diadora has chosen to take in its contemporary history.

FROM THE ARSENALE TO THE RUN VALLEY

The Arsenale has been a symbol of innovation since the days of the Republic of Venice, today this place continues to inspire enlightened minds, researchers in sustainability, artisans and technology pioneers. And here, in the beating heart of lagoon creativity, Diadora has chosen to unveil its vision of Italian Innovation-one of the distinctive features of its DNA.

Diadora’s recent technological innovations, also presented through the fascinating Run Valley communication campaign, are Blushield, Anima, XT, Atomo and Anima PBX with carbon plate: steps toward the future studied and developed together with numerous elite athletes at the CRD – Diadora Research Center.

LARISSA IAPICHINO, JUMPING INTO THE FUTURE

A particularly significant announcement closed the event: the addition of Larissa Iapichino to the Diadora track&field team. Iapichino also inroduced the Lungo Carbon, the new Diadora shoe dedicated to the long jump. The European U20 and U23 champion, current European indoor vice-champion and number 3 in the world rankings has joined a team composed of Italian excellences such as Massimo Stano, Antonella Palmisano, Samuele Ceccarelli, Robert Napolitano and Paralympic sprinter, multiple national record-holder, Alessandro Cannata, who will be the protagonist of an upcoming Athleta editorial production.

After unveiling the new Lungo Carbon and before taking photos with Diadora President and CEO Enrico Moretti Polegato, Larissa Iapichino spoke about her own symbiosis with the brand, wishing to write with Diadora new pages of the Azzurri successess. Partnership, innovation, valorization and Made in Italy, these are the concepts chorally expressed by Iapichino and Diadora: the composite manifesto of a relationship that is as virtuous as it is conscious.

Cooperation is another key word in the bonds between the Venetian brand and its athletes: a term that amplifies its meaning and value by observing the presence of an Italian athletics legend, the Olympic champion in Seoul ’88 Gelindo Bordin, now a leading figure in the Diadora corporate system. The high ceilings of the Arsenale are not enough to contain the aura of this eternal champion who, at 65, seems to be pointing out the future to new generations of heirs thanks to Diadora and his own example.

THE RACE PACK AND PROGRESS IN ATHLETICS

Also unveiled at Arsenal was a preview of the Race Pack: a tangible result of Diadora’s recent efforts. The Race Pack consists of three models designed for specific athletic disciplines. These three shoes mark the Italian brand’s glorious return to the world of athletics. They are the Race Carbon, the Speed Carbon, a spiked shoe with a futuristic carbon plate that marks Diadora’s official comeback on the tartan, and the aforementioned Lungo Carbon, which features a full-length carbon plate for maximum responsiveness, paired with an ANIMA PBX insole.