herzogenaurach, germany, march 11, 2021
PUMA LAUNCHES NEW HANDBALL PERFORMANCE FOOTWEAR COLLECTION 
Sports company PUMA has today revealed new handball performance footwear silos: Accelerate and Eliminate, featuring groundbreaking innovation to deliver against the specialist demands of the fastest team sport in the world. Both shoes will be worn by the leading PUMA players at the upcoming Olympic Handball Tournament qualification matches in Berlin (Germany), Montpellier (France), Trondheim (Norway) and EHF Euro 2022 qualifiers in March 2021. 

Inspired by the mission to push sport forward, the Accelerate and Eliminate continue the PUMA handball footwear tradition started in 1948. The latest shoes are inspired by the PUMA back catalogue, as the company reintroduces the iconic Accelerate (2005) and Eliminate (2011) shoes. Both trailblazing silos have been updated to combine the best of PUMA brand technologies and handball performance insight, delivering the fastest and most explosive handball performance footwear the company has ever made. 



On the court, speed is king. Accelerate Turbo NITRO is designed for wingers and the fastest players, introducing new standards in lightweight performance and energy return. The shoe features NITRO Foam for enhanced cushioning and propulsion, FURYCAGE+ and an engineered upper for multi-directional movement stability. The Accelerate will be endorsed by the leading PUMA players Luc Abalo (France), Timo Kastening, Tobias Reichmann and Emily Bölk (Germany), Mathias Gidsel, Jacob Holm, Emil Jakobsen and Lasse Andersson (Denmark), Daniel Pettersson (Sweden) and Veronica Kristiansen (Norway).

Eliminate Power NITRO is designed to meet the needs and enhance the performance of powerful playmakers. The Eliminate features NITRO Foam for optimized cushioning and propulsion, as well as the WEBCAGE+ and PWRPLATE technology for explosive cuts. The shoe will be worn by Dika Mem, Hugo Descat (France), Paul Drux, Fabian Wiede and Hendrik Pekeler (Germany), Rasmus Lauge (Denmark) and Andreas Nilsson (Sweden). 



“The Accelerate and Eliminate shoes are the culmination of thousands of hours of research and testing,” said Matthias Bäumer, General Manager BU Teamsport at PUMA. “The introduction of the new Accelerate and Eliminate is a statement for a new era of PUMA Handball. We have completely reimagined our product engine, investing in sports marketing partnerships and communications to bring our brand energy and passion to the handball category and push the sport forward, faster, through culture, innovation and conversation.”

In addition to the company’s player portfolio, PUMA is a proud partner of the German Handball Association (Deutscher Handballbund) and the Danish Handball Federation (Dansk Håndbold Forbund). Having won their second consecutive World Men's Handball Championship title in January 2021, the reigning men’s Olympic champions Denmark will look to retain their title at the upcoming Summer Olympics.



PUMA-sponsored club sides include Füchse Berlin, Rhein-Neckar Löwen (Germany), Montpellier Handball (France), Viborg HK, Skanderborg Håndbold, Skjern Håndbold, and NFH Nykøbing Falster Håndbold (Denmark) and LUGI Handboll (Sweden).

Accelerate Turbo NITRO and Eliminate Power NITRO Launch Editions are available at leading handball accounts Weplayhandball, Indoortrends (both Germany) and H-Shop (Denmark) from April 1, 2021. The full PUMA handball footwear range will launch in May 2021 at PUMA.com and other handball retailers.