HEIKE DRECHSLER
Bringing the Disc to Track & Field
It was in 1991 when PUMA introduced another gamechanger: the PUMA Disc, the world’s first laceless sports shoe with a system of internal wires that tighten the upper for a perfect fit. Originally designed for a range of running shoes in 1991, it wasn’t until one year later that the Disc entered the world stage of Athletics at the Barcelona Olympics. Heike Drechsler, one of the most successful female long-jumpers of all time, sported the laceless innovation.
“PUMA had signed Heike shortly before the games in Barcelona and she was quickly intrigued by the Disc system,” remembers Helmut Fischer. “When the decision was made to introduce the Disc as a performance spike at the Olympics, Heike was very keen to be the forerunner.”
Wearing the Disc, Heike Drechsler jumped to victory with 7.14 meters – the first Olympic gold medal in her career. Eight years later, she won another gold medal at the Sydney Olympics and became the first woman in history to have won two Olympic gold medals in the long jump. For the PUMA Disc, however, Heike’s success in Barcelona remained the only gold medal that has ever been won in a Disc shoe.