Paralympian Jessica Heims Shares How "Stoked" She Is to Receive Adaptive Shoes in Tokyo

Paralympian Jessica Heims took to TikTok earlier this week to express her gratitude for the adaptive Nike shoes she's received in Tokyo ahead of the Paralympic Games. During the three-minute video, Heims highlights the details that make both pairs of shoes (slides and sneakers) work for her, since she wears a prosthetic on the lower half of her right leg. Normally Heims has to DIY her shoes to make them work for her prosthetic, but this time Nike, who is a sponsor of the Games, made adaptive shoes for paralympic athletes.

As Heims takes us on a tour of the slides, she explains that the added strap at the back allows for her prosthetic to stay in place, because she doesn't have toes on her right leg to "grip" a common slide sandal that doesn't have a strap in the back. Moving onto the adaptive sneaker — similar to the Nike Go FlyEase — Heims shows her audience that the "step, lock, and release" laceless features are beneficial to those who have limited arm mobility, as they might have difficulty tying their shoes.

According to Heims in the video above, she usually ends up giving shoes that she's been gifted to one of her sisters, but time around she plans on keeping both pairs.