“I generally like shoes that are black or in darker colours,” says Dave Castro when asked what inspired his colour choices.

“But with how my role has now evolved in CrossFit, there’s some fun in being flashy and making a statement. That’s why I threw in the silver heel cap.” he continued.

The all-new Reebok Nano 8 is just about to hit Malaysian shores this month. However, Reebok decided to gift CrossFit’s mad-hatter aka ‘love him or hate him’, Games Director Dave Castro, a customized version of the Nano 8.

Portions of the shoe that are blue, refers to Castro’s time in the U.S. Navy. Although this is the first time Castro’s personalized design is available to the public, he is certainly not new to the Nano franchise. Castro has worked out in the shoe since the original launch of the Nano 1, and he continues to play a close role in its development.

“It’s been great to see how the Nano has evolved and improved and changed,” he says.

“If you had asked me eight years ago after the first one where I saw the shoe going, I would’ve thought just more of the same. But it hasn’t been more of the same. Each one has been different, yet still meets all the needs of the CrossFit athlete and participant. It’s impressive.”

While Castro was the first to design custom Nano 8 shoes, a handful of the most well-known Games athletes also got in on the action early. Tia-Clair Toomey, Annie Thorisdottir, Camille Leblanc-Bazinet, Brent Fikowski and Dan Bailey have all created custom pairs.

Read more on ReebokFitness.