Back in 2016, Hong Kong Olympic fencer Cheung Ka Long has made a groundbreaking record for being the country’s first gold medalist during the Asian Championship Men’s Indivdual Foil. Since then, the athlete has went through many ups and downs in his career, before finding light in a simple but motivational phrase, “Don’t Lose Your Way”.

The phrase has then turned into Cheung’s motto, with the hand-written text appearing on every of his competition-worn shoes, reminding himself of his love for the sport. Fast-forwarding to 2022, the hand-written phrase was given a new life, turning into a signature shoe by the athlete and Nike.

The Nike Cheung Ka Long Air Max 97 sees a celebration of not only the Air Max 97 and Cheung’s 25 years of age, but also marks the moment where he became the first Hong Kong’s Olympic gold medalist in 25 years. Drawing inspirations from the athlete’s hometown, the sneaker features hues of his favorite color Olive Green and a map topography of Hong Kong’s tallest peak Tai Mo Shan on the transparent outsoles. With his motto shown on the Air Bubbles, number printing are also printed on the insoles which indicates the years he achieved his gold medals.

Releasing along with a T-Shirt, the two piece collection retails at HKD1,299 and HKD349 (~US$165, US$45) respectively and will be made available from 17th October via Nike and selected retailers.

In other sneaker-related news, check out the Nike Air Force 1 PLT.AF.ORM “Fur & Bling”.