The shoes. The hair. The finish. At the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Shelly-Ann, a five-time world champion, ended her career her way.

Sofieke van Bilsen is a 29-year-old Dutch photographer with a passion for storytelling through imagery. She is in-house photographer to the German women's national football team, and was team photographer for the German Olympic Team in Paris 2024. She works closely with Nike athletes such as Faith Kipyegon, Eliud Kipchoge and Sifan Hassan.In her photography, she aims to create compelling visual narratives, focusing on the deep connection between emotion and athleticism. She strives to capture the raw moments behind the scenes, the untold stories of the journey,and everything in between, bringing the spirit of sports to life.Sofieke's personality creates instant connections with people, and she is loved by the athletes she works with. Her relaxed and enthusiastic personality complements an incredible skill level and ability to work in high pressure environments for athletes.

Sofieke van Bilsen

Photo Essay

Icon Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Ran Her Final 100 Meter On Her Terms

Over the course of his career, LeBron James has shared his passion for the game globally, partnering with Nike to travel throughout Greater China during his offseason, galvanizing a nation in its love for basketball and hoops culture.

Journey of an Icon: 20 Years of LeBron James in China

Powering up steep ascents. Navigating gnarly descents. Whipping mountain winds. Ultra trail running is a relentless sport. But the payoff is well worth the grind.

Ultra Trail Running Can Take Everything You’ve Got — and Give You Even More

NExt volume

Handshake_Homepage_Loop

Born of need and elevated by expertise and diligence, today the Department of Nike Archives (DNA) cares for hundreds of thousands of artifacts and a limitless vault of connected stories.&nbsp;The brand archive began organically in the 1970s and officially became DNA in 2006. The department’s purpose is to both preserve and accelerate the ever-evolving and interconnected story of Nike. “Knowing who you are and the fights you’ve come through can do huge things for morale, inspiration, and creativity. That’s what DNA provides.” - Phil Knight

Department of Nike Archives

Go behind the scenes of the famous business deal between Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman — co-founders of Nike.

History

The Handshake That Started It All

About Nike - Stories from Inside NIKE, Inc.

Geoff Lowe is a dynamic sports photographer originally from South Africa, now based in Italy. With a background in track and field, he brings a unique insider’s perspective to his photography, capturing the emotion, rhythm, and intensity of athletes in motion. His images go beyond documentation; they turn athletic performance into visual poetry. Known for his artistic composite technique, Lowe uses ultra-fast sequences to create layered images that reveal movement over time — sprinting, jumping, swimming, and diving — all unfolding in a single frame.

Geoff Lowe

Nike Cross Nationals famously takes everything a cross-country runner's got — here's what the sum of that looks like across dozens of runners, from photographer Geoff Lowe.

The Nike Moment

What It Looks Like to Finish On Empty

Experience what the champion runner was feeling minutes before attempting to break the 4-minute mile, through our photographer's lens.

Faith Kipyegon and Her Breaking4 Pacers Minutes Before History

Cameron was born in Rochester, New York, but grew up in the small town of Brighton, Michigan. Skateboarding and snowboarding were his life until he minted himself as a photographer. For the first 15 years of his career, after he moved to Los Angeles, he shot for skate brands almost exclusively, constantly pushing himself to capture a familiar subject in a fresh, dynamic way. It was like DIY photo school. Try never to be at ground level, and use everything around you to build a more interesting photograph in camera. Foreground elements, reflections, the grit of the street, sun flare, off-kilter perspectives, light trails — This creative restlessness culminated into a signature look that continues to evolve in exciting ways.His approach to visual storytelling envelops you in the moment. You feel like you’re the runner trying to beat your personal best, hugging the curves of a racetrack on a motorbike, bouldering with your friends, cycling against a spectacular natural panorama, or rounding up cattle at golden hour. “I like the challenge of making the product the focus but having each image feel honest and human,” says Cameron.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Cameron Strand

When Niels Laros powered through to win this year's Bowerman Mile, our photographer was ready.

What It Takes to Capture a Photo Finish

Proof that football is a communal experience: these gripping images and videos from the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

This Year’s WAFCON Shows How Football Can Change a Nation

Amateur teams from China's Rise Academy and the LA-based Cal Stars and Veritas Academy went head-to-head during LeBron's China tour. There in attendance to cheer them on: the king himself.

Rising Together

The drama, suspense, energy and passion — if you're not yet a fan of track and field, you're about to become one.

Incredible Scenes from the 50th Anniversary of the Pre Classic

Our Favorite Sports Images from 2025

Story Landing

3-Minute Portrait

Abloh's singular design language, combined with his urgency to fulfill a life-long dream, would ultimately lead to The Ten, a collaborative exploration of 10 Nike footwear silhouettes.

Icons

The History of Virgil Abloh's “The Ten”

The 1973 Pre Montreal racing spike was an innovation worthy of its rising star endorser, Steve Prefontaine.

The History of Steve Prefontaine’s "Signature" Track Spike

Last year’s 800-meter gold medalist has found her championship form again after a year of injuries. Integral to her comeback are the people and places she holds close.

For The Win

To Get Back to Tokyo, Keely Hodgkinson Found Her Way Back Home

Created from the experimentation and ingenuity of Nike's co-founder Bill Bowerman, the Nike Moon Shoe's unique design would shape the future of running for decades.

Feature

From Waffle Iron to World Stage: The True Story of the Nike Moon Shoe

On September 14th, MJW concluded her perfect season by winning gold in Tokyo, running a 10.61 in the 100m, good for a championship record and fourth-place all time in the event.

For Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, There’s No Place Like First Place

The American hurdler will go for his first gold medal at the World Championships in Tokyo. His many identities — as an individual and teammate, as the son of Caribbean immigrants, and as a proud American — are what ground his success.

Rai Benjamin Is in a World of His Own

Curtis&nbsp;Rowser III is an Atlanta-based journalist who covers basketball, rap, culture, travel and lifestyle. His words and photos have appeared in&nbsp;SLAM,&nbsp;BET,&nbsp;TimeOut,&nbsp;Epicenter-NYC,&nbsp;Brooklyn Magazine,&nbsp;AmNY and others. He’s a former Division I basketball player, and has since earned a master’s in Sports Industry Management from Georgetown&nbsp;and&nbsp;a second master’s in Journalism from NYU.

Curtis Rowser

True support for young basketball athletes goes beyond gifting gear. To elevate players and the game, Nike's created a deep network of platforms, mentorships and opportunities — and there's no better way to see the effects than through this summer's grassroots tourney play.

Beyond the Buzzer: How Nike Is Fueling the Next Era of Elite Hoopers

The 16-year-old half-miler will run in Tokyo as Team USA’s youngest-ever competitor, but his capacity as a leader has been long in the making.

How I Got Here

Cooper Lutkenhaus is Already Leading the Pack

In 2006, Maria Sharapova wore a bespoke Nike LBD on the court that proved you don't have to sacrifice style for performance. To celebrate her 2025 induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, we made her a new one.

Making It

The Legacy of Maria Sharapova’s Little Black Tennis Dress

Nike Radical AirFlow Slow Motion Hero

The material innovation harnesses the power of the air moving around you to help maximize your body’s natural cooling mechanisms.