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6 December 2023, Hong Kong – Xtep International Holdings Limited (the “Company”, together with its subsidiaries, the “Group”) (Stock code: 1368.HK), a leading PRC-based professional sportswear enterprise, announced that its "160X" championship running shoes played a pivotal role in Yang Shaohui's remarkable performance at the Fukuoka Marathon, where he once again broke the Chinese Marathon record, together creating a new milestone in Chinese Marathon history.

Yang Shaohui achieved three milestones in the 2023 season wearing Xtep’s "160X 3.0 PRO" championship running shoes. The prestigious elite race of the Fukuoka Marathon serves as another remarkable full marathon journey for Yang Shaohui after winning a bronze medal at the Hangzhou sports event. After breaking the national record at the Wuxi Marathon in March this year, he shaved 21 seconds off the record to finish in time of 2:07:09.

"160X" championship shoes empower Yang Shaohui once again to break Chinese marathon record

This year, the level of marathon competition in China has greatly improved, marking a new milestone for Xtep’s "160X" championship running shoes. In the Wuxi Marathon held in March, both He Jie and Yang Shaohui broke the 15-year national record held by Ren Longyun with the help of the Xtep "160X" championship running shoes, achieving personal and project breakthroughs with times of 2:07:30 and 2:07:49, respectively. In addition, in the men's marathon event at the Hangzhou sports event in October, "160X" propelled He Jie to victory over a number of top athletes to win China's first gold medal in the men's marathon at the event. This month, Yang Shaohui set another national record in the Fukuoka Marathon elite race with the help of the "160X" championship running shoes.

Xtep’s newly launched championship running shoes "160X 5.0 PRO" maintained its leading position in the sub-3 hour wear rate in top domestic races such as the Beijing Marathon and the Shanghai Marathon this year. A total of 2,402 athletes completed the race within three hours, with Xtep running shoes being worn by 35.6% of the runners, surpassing the second and third ranked internationally recognized brands. In the overall wear rate among runners representing a larger group of mass market runners in the Beijing Marathon, Xtep running shoes ranked first among domestic and international brands with a wear rate of 28.1%.

According to the 2023 Shanghai Marathon Data Report published by Joyrun, Xtep achieved the top position with a wear rate of 35.5% among sub-3 hour athletes in the 2023 Shanghai Marathon. Among them, Xtep's "160X 5.0 PRO" and "160X 3.0 PRO" accounted for 19.4% and 13.8%, respectively, ranking first and second in wear rate among sub-3 hour runners. Xtep’s "160X" championship running shoes has undergone multiple upgrades, evolving from the "160X" to the current "160X 5.0 PRO". As of 31 October 2023, Xtep running shoes have helped a total of 73 Chinese athletes win 328 marathon championships. In addition to the flagship "160X" product line, Xtep's professional running shoes now form a comprehensive matrix that caters to different scenarios and groups of runners. This includes the "260" series designed for competitive training, and the "360" series, a professional entry-level running shoe for beginners.

New generation championship running shoes "160X 5.0 PRO"

Xtep has been deeply involved in the road running market for many years, starting with its foray into marathons in 2007 and culminating in the launch of its first carbon-plated race shoe, the "160X", in 2019. Xtep is now entering a "harvest season" as a result. At the end of 2019, the Chinese Athletics Association and Xtep jointly launched the “athletes and running” initiative, which aimed to raise the level of marathon competition in China and inject new vitality into the then relatively stagnant marathon scene. Dong Guojian, wearing "160X", achieved an impressive time of 2:08:28 in the Berlin Marathon. Then, Peng Jianhua broke the 13-year national half marathon record with a time of 1:02:30 while wearing the "160X 3.0 PRO". In the current season, He Jie won a gold medal at the sports event in Hangzhou wearing the "160X 3.0 PRO", and Yang Shaohui broke the national record twice with the help of "160X 3.0 PRO". These achievements demonstrate Xtep's contribution to improving the level of marathon competition in China and the higher standard of competitors.

Mr. Ding Shui Po, Chairman and CEO of Xtep International Holdings Limited, said, "This year marks the second year of the 'World-Class Chinese Running Shoes' brand strategy upgrade. The '160X' championship running shoes have achieved the highest wear rate among all brands in the sub-3 hour group of runners in several marathons this season. It has also helped athletes break national marathon records twice this year and have become the shoes of choice for runners. This fully demonstrates the brand’s outstanding product performance and market recognition, which is on par with and even surpasses that of international brands. With 16 years of deep involvement in the road running field, Xtep, as a domestic Chinese brand, continuously enhances its research and development capabilities, refines product performance, and continuously upgrades products with core technology. We are committed to creating running shoes that are more suitable for Chinese runners' feet, helping more runners achieve breakthroughs, and actively building a running ecosystem to lead Chinese sports brands to the world stage."