Adidas reported stronger than expected first-quarter operating profit and sales, despite what CEO Bjorn Gulden described as a "very volatile and heavily discounted" retail environment, especially in sneakers. Adidas's robust performance sent its shares up 7% at the open, as the company stuck with its 2026 outlook for high-single-digit sales growth and operating profit of 2.3 billion euros. Adidas is riding high after its ultra-light racing shoes helped Kenyan athlete Sabastian Sawe become the first person to run a sub-two-hour marathon in an official race in the London Marathon on Sunday.