The Nike Air Presto ‘Australia Olympic’: 2000 OG vs 2020 Retro
The original made for the Australian Olympic team for Sydney 2000 remains one of the most elusive sneakers for collectors across the globe. And this unicorn status makes sense when you realise that Aussie athletes, perhaps some of their family members, and a handful of VIPs were officially the only people to get their hands and feet on pairs.
As the dust settled on the greatest Games ever, these mythical joggers were stashed at the back of wardrobes, passed down to the of Jai Taurimas and Cathy Freemans, or just donated to the local Salvos (an Australianism for The Salvation Army’s omnipresent second-hand stores). So, it’s via these fortuitous family connections, and very lucky thrift finds, that collectors have found their pairs over the last 20 years.
Sneakerheads, particularly those Down Under, were whipped into a frenzy when news broke that Nike were bringing back the Nike Air Presto ‘Australia Olympic’. Up until this point, the coveted design was about as common as a wild Yowie sighting. Now, much like the namesake chocolate treat, it’s going worldwide on July 24, after Australia got first dibs this week.
While the OG pairs’ Olympic Village stains and snapped lace cages carry heaps of provenance (and progeny), this retro and its relative abundance means hopefully old and new ‘heads alike can enjoy wearing one of the greatest sneakers of the 2000s decade.
Where some of Nike’s other reissues have faltered from not sticking to the script, Air Presto bringbacks continue to be faithful to their ancestors. This is most likely due to the fact Leon Witherow, aka , has overseen the restoration of his favourite sneaker line to its OG glory. In short, the ‘Australia Olympic’ 2020 retro is as good as it gets.
Of course, we got our paws on both the 2000 OG and 2020 retro to split the difference. It's just about one-for-one, with a couple of small details to set the new version apart...