Adam Jeremy "A. J." Edelman OLY (Hebrew: אדם ג'רמי אדלמן; born March 14, 1991) is an American-born Israeli sliding sports athlete. He is an eight-time Israeli National Champion in sliding sport (skeleton and Bobsleigh)[1] who competed for Israel at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.[2] Edelman is the first Orthodox Jew to compete in the Winter Olympics, and the first Orthodox Jewish man to compete in either Olympic iteration.[3] In 2023, Edelman became the first ever Israeli to take a podium in a sanctioned Bobsled race and in March, 2024 became the first Israeli to secure the overall podium on the North American Cup.[4] Edelman is training for the 2026 Olympic Games.[5]
A major step forward in sliding shoes. For years there has been absolutely no innovation in one of the most critical pieces of equipment that we wear. We spend almost the entire year trying to increase our push/sprint timing. In 2020 I resolved to change that. I considered factors such as toe spring angles, ideal stiffness, arch support, energy reactivity and more to design what I believed to be the most optimal shoe for our sport. The result I'm proud to say is nearly ready for release.
To address the issue of stiffness a stiff outsole was created that runs the length of the spike, the first time this is ever been done in a native sliding sport shoe.
Carbon fiber plating was added for additional reactivity. Reactive foam similar to what is used on Nike Olympic sprinting spikes was added to provide springiness. Comfort was addressed with the addition of a sock-like entryway that makes slipping them on and off quicker.
All told the development of the spike was a monumental effort. But the results is a great step forward that I hope pushes the boundaries and sets a standard for what we should accept. Elite athletes deserve elite equipment. Welcome to the EYR Bob Max.
