Annual Report 1997 (1.5 MB PDF) - adidas Group

18
Haile Gebrselassie has only one
real challenger in distance running: the clock
In the sports
arena: racing with
the heartbeat of
champions
Wherever champions reached
new levels of success in 1997,
adidas was there. The exceptional
level of visibility is not
by chance. It was achieved
through a focused, dynamic
strategy: selective investment
in key symbols which embody
the adidas values of excellence
in performance. Their
successes in 1997 gave the
brand great exposure.
Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie
sets new world records
How fast can a human run?
There seems to be no limit
for this Olympic Champion,
who once again set new
levels for performance in the
10,000 meter and the 2 mile
distances.
Cyclist Jan Ullrich spins a
win at the Tour de France
The brand got a big boost in
1997 when this young German
crossed the finish line on the
Champs Elysées after a thrilling
three weeks.
HAILE’S EQUIPMENT
SOLUTION FEET YOU
WEAR RUNNING SHOE
WHICH HE USES FOR
TRAINING
NBA rookie Kobe Bryant
dazzles at the All Star
Weekend
An emerging star shone bright-
ly at the 1997 All Star weekend,
capturing the spotlight
and the winning title with a
spectacular dunk in the Slam
Dunk Competition. His selec-
tion for the 1998 All Star team
makes him the youngest player
to ever be picked for the
starting line-up and signaling
his potential for the future.
Dominating the IAAF World
Championships
We outfitted all officials and
volunteers, and we supplied
numerous federations competing
in the event. Yet even this
was surpassed by the performance
of the athletes using
adidas products, led by a
sweep of key medals by the
Cuban athletes to perennial
favorites, such as Lars Riedel
and Haile Gebrselassie.
The next tennis generation
is “three stripes”
The most conspicuous newcomer
to the global tennis
scene is Russian Anna Kournikova,
whose looks deceived
many an opponent. On the
men's tour, Tim Henman
will wear three stripes on his
quest for the top.
Freestyler Fabien Rohrer
becomes new snowboarding
star
In our endless quest for fresh
talent, we also look for those
athletes who incarnate our
values in new sports. Current
ISF and FIS World Champion
Fabien Rohrer was chosen
as our new symbol to show
off a new range of snowboard
clothing.