Ethiopian runner smashes half-marathon record in Nike Vaporfly shoes

Ethiopian athlete Ababel Yeshaneh broke a women's world record in the half marathon in the United Arab Emirates while wearing Nike's Vaporfly shoes — completing the race on Friday in 1 hour, 4 minutes and 31 seconds, CNN reports.

Why it matters: The record-breaking event comes shortly after Eliud Kipchoge became the first man to run the marathon in less than two hours, while also wearing the Vaporfly shoes. Nike's new shoe technology has proven controversial because of the performance boost it seems to provide. The footwear does meet new rules set by World Athletics that limits the thickness of a shoe's sole and the use of carbon plates, CNN writes.

Go deeper: Nike's magic running shoes ignite debate