'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
American sports apparel brand Nike shared its apology after facing immense criticism for its billboards at the 2025 London Marathon. The event was held on Sunday, April 27, where TCS was the major sponsor with banners of Nike prevalent throughout the course.
These banners had several phrases, such as, "Never Again Until Next Year". Critics have claimed that the brand's use of the phrase was tone deaf, as the phrase "Never Again" is typically associated with Holocaust remembrance, as a pledge to prevent such astrocities from happening again.
Owing to this, the brand has faced immense heat from the fans on social media, citing the usage of such billboards during the prestigious London world major marathon event.
Trending
As an apology to this growing criticism against the apparel brand, Nike shared that its billboards didn't intend to harm any community but are a part of a broader spectrum related to the hardships of winning. It also added that this campaign has been designed with several insights from the runners. Nike said (via PR Week):
"We did not mean any harm and apologize for any we caused. The London billboards were part of a broader campaign titled ‘Winning Isn’t Comfortable,’ built on runners’ insights and designed to motivate runners to push past what they think is possible."
As the 2025 London Marathon unfolded, Adidas athletes Sebastian Sawe (Kenya) and Tigst Assefa (Ethiopia) emerged as the winners of the men's and women's races, respectively.
Sebastian Sawe and Tigst Assefa express their feelings after a successful quest at the London Marathon 2025
Winners of the 2025 London Marathon, Sebastian Sawe and Tigst Assefa, shared their reactions after the race on Sunday. This was Assefa's second podium finish in the London major marathon event after finishing as the runner-up last year.
In an interview, Assefa shared that last year she faced immense difficulty due to the cold London temperature, but this time around, the weather helped her. She said (via the BBC):
"I won second here last year so to win this year is very special. I am really, very happy. Last year I did have some problems with the cold, this year the weather suited me better."
Speaking to the BBC, Sawe expressed happiness after this performance and stated that he had prepared quite well before the event. He said:
"I am so happy. This is my fastest time for the London Marathon. I was well prepared for this race."
Sawe clocked a run time of 2:02:27 during the London Marathon 2025, whereas Assefa won the women's race in 2:15:50.
