The three models of performance shoes are designed to match different running styles giving all athletes the confidence to chase down their personal bests.
[2 May 2025 – Hoofddorp, The Netherlands] – ASICS today announces the launch of the METASPEED™ SKY TOKYO and METASPEED™ EDGE TOKYO along with a brand new, super light METASPEED™ RAY. These three products represent pinnacle speed innovation with key advances in minimising weight and maximising performance.
Developed in collaboration with our top athletes alongside rigorous scientific research from the team at the ASICS Institute of Sport Science, this new series continues to lead ASICS' pursuit of creating products that cater to different runners and running styles in the performance running category.
Through intensive research and testing, ASICS is excited to add a new addition to our speed line, METASPEED™ RAY. Featuring a truly innovative design, the shoe weighs just 129 grams*, placing it among the very lightest carbon-plated distance racing shoes available on the market today. This new super-light option in the METASPEED™ series is designed for athletes who prioritise a bouncy, weightless ride and is particularly efficient for forefoot strikers.
Named ‘Ray’ based on the inspiration from the speed of a ray of light and the Japanese ‘Rei’, meaning ‘zero’ to signify its weightlessness, the shoe benefits from ASICS’ latest scientific innovations in its all-out pursuit of speed. The midsole is made entirely from the brand new ASICS FF LEAP™ foam, ASICS’ lightest, softest and bounciest foam ever used which provides a super lightweight experience, enabling athletes to take a powerful and confident leap forward in every stride. Its Matryx® upper is formed of a light woven material to maintain the shoe’s lightness while providing a secure lockdown of the foot, even as the pace increases.
The shoe features a minimal carbon plate to help propel athletes forward at the foot-strike phase without adding undue weight to the shoe. Also adding to the shoe’s energetic underfoot feel is its innovative Dynamic Drop Structure, in which the fast defamation of the FF LEAP™ foam as your foot hits the ground creates a significantly greater drop than the 5mm drop in the shoe’s original design. The METASPEED™ RAY also grips well even on wet surfaces thanks to its ASICSGRIP™ outsole.
Completing the latest series are the METASPEED™ SKY TOKYO and METASPEED™ EDGE TOKYO, our much-loved pinnacle racing shoes that have now been made better than ever before. Primarily, the main difference between the two shoes can be found in the shape and positioning of the full-length carbon plate, which in the METASPEED™ SKY TOKYO is designed for stride-style runners, who have a long, loping gait and increase their speed by increasing their stride length. The METASPEED™ EDGE TOKYO meanwhile is optimised for cadence-style runners, who take smaller steps and increase their speed by increasing both their stride length and the number of steps they take per minute.
Both the METASPEED™ SKY TOKYO and METASPEED™ EDGE TOKYO feature a combination of the new FF LEAP™ foam and the high-performance FF TURBO™ PLUS foam in its midsoles, so while the shoes provide the softest, bounciest ride ever seen in the METASPEED™ series, athletes will also benefit from added stability to give them the confidence to deliver their top speeds over the longer distances. The shoes are fitted with an improved MOTION WRAP 3.0 which is lightweight and breathable, while providing a secure holding for the foot.
The new series of METASPEED™ products represents the continuation of ASICS’ unique design philosophy which was first introduced in 2021. The shoes were developed based on ASICS’ belief that performance running shoe design should reflect that we all run differently and therefore have different needs – a point of view that had not yet been considered by the rest of the running category. The METASPEED™ has since gone on to support athletes worldwide as they strive for peak performances.
To celebrate and showcase the new products, ASICS will take to the streets of Tokyo tomorrow, 3 May, alongside over 2,750 runners of all abilities to hold a unique speed race on a flat, fast course next to the Japan National Stadium. The event, named the Tokyo : Speed : Race, will offer runners, including world-class elite athletes, the opportunity to unlock new levels of confidence as they chase down new personal bests.
Looking further ahead, ASICS is looking forward to seeing the new METASPEED™ models inspire athletes to new records at the upcoming World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 in September, an event in which ASICS will be taking part as an official partner.
Bashir Abdi, an ASICS sponsored elite marathoner representing Belgium said: “The new collection of METASPEED™ models is the result of extensive scientific development from the ASICS team to refine and update the shoe according to feedback from myself and my fellow elite athletes. Not only do the new shoes reflect some of the specific details we look for in a racing shoe, but it is also a real confidence boost having the option of three models which we can test and evaluate which best suits our running style.”
Shuhei Takemura, project leader of the METASPEED™ series product development at ASICS said: “It is a great moment to be able to share the latest ASICS METASPEED™ silhouettes with the world. This collection of shoes is innovatively designed to match different running styles and preferences to give all athletes the comfort and confidence to find their speed. Furthermore, we are humbled that this series of products will take on the name of Tokyo, a city that has an incredible sporting heritage and will be welcoming fans from around the world for the World Athletics Championships 25 later this year.”
The METASPEED™ SKY TOKYO and the METASPEED™ EDGE TOKYO will be available to purchase starting from 25 July 2025, both offline and online and at select partners. The METASPEED™ RAY will become available as of 12 August. To find out more about the new METASPEED™ series, and other ASICS products, please visit asics.com.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
*based on a men’s size 9
Tokyo : Speed : Race
The Livestream will start at 7pm JST on 3rd May. Please visit the Tokyo : Speed : Race event page for further information: asics.tv/tokyo
