Herzogenaurach, Germany, January 24, 2023
THE NEW PUMA VELOPHASIS TAKES INSPIRATION FROM RUNNING HERITAGE TO DELIVER AN EXCITING LIFESTYLE SNEAKER

PUMA announces the release of VELOPHASIS, its new hybrid sneaker inspired by the 2000s.

For this new design, PUMA took inspiration from an important part of its Archive. The design of the VELOPHASIS is inspired by the COMPLETE line, a defining license of the 2000s for the brand. Designed for running, the PUMA COMPLETE line allowed the brand to develop revolutionary technologieslike the iCELL, e+CELL, and EverRide technologies, which have been used by runners around the world. The VELOPHASIS builds on this heritage while adapting it to the visual codes of the Y2K culture through PUMA’s progressive
vision.

VELOPHASIS BIONIC

The new franchise’s design takes the best of both eras. The upper of the VELOPHASIS is built asymmetrically. Its inserts are directly taken from the running of the 2000s but decked out in new materials. Honeycombed mesh, textured panels and an aggressive shape pay homage to the heritage of the COMPLETE line.

 

VELOPHASIS PHASED

The first colors of the VELOPHASIS are based on a more contemporary aesthetic. VELOPHASIS Bionic features a metallic look with cream and electro blue inserts. While the VELOPHASIS Phased are inspired by the Vaporwave movement and the Internet culture of the early 2000s with bright tones that contrast with the sobriety of its design.

 

The PUMA VELOPHASIS Bionic will be available on February 4th and the 3 colorways of the VELOPHASIS Phased will be available on February 11th on PUMA.com and in selected retailers. Additional colorways and exciting collaborations will come later in the Spring of 2023.

 

LONG DISTANCE RUNNER MOLLY SEIDEL TALKS “SHE MOVES US”: “NOTHING IN THE WORLD FEELS LIKE RUNNING”

PUMA Running Athlete Molly Seidel talks about her passion for running and how she wants to inspire young women for PUMA’s “She Moves Us” platform

Running Athlete Molly Seidel frankly spoke about the sacrifices and challenges of being a female elite runner in a “She Moves Us” video conversation for Sports company PUMA:  “I’ve had to challenge male standards in my sport in the sense that there are very certain ideas about body image that have been prevalent in running for a long time, in a male dominated sport. And I think as American female distance running takes over, we’ve shown that you don’t have to be any one kind of body type to succeed. That you can have success being whoever you are.”

The Olympic Bronze Medalist, who will again compete at the upcoming Boston Marathon, wants to empower girls and young women to embarke into a career in running: “I want young women to know that you can work hard and enjoy yourself. There have been certain ideas of what it takes to be successful in this sport, and I think sometimes people equate that with you have to be serious, you have to be straight-faced. And I want to challenge that and say that I think to win you should be enjoying the hell out of what you do.”

 

“She Moves Us” wants to empower girls and young women through through sharing stories and joint efforts to impact their rights globally.  It is inspired by global pop-star and PUMA Ambasssador Dua Lipa who said: "Sharing stories of success is all part of changing the narrative, especially in fields like sports and entertainment that have tended to amplify the accomplishments of men. Women are already nailing it across the board and celebrating their achievements is exciting and empowering. It also encourages those rising up to aim for the stars.”

 

PUMA has an inclusive product offering to cater for women and girls in sport: underwear and activewear, modest sportswear, a maternity offering and performance specific products exclusively engineered for women. PUMA supports all athletes to perform at the highest level and works with organizations and partners committed to remove barriers in sports.

 

For the full Molly Seidel “She Moves Us” video interview, please click HERE.

 

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July 05, 2006
Bob Kennedy Joins the PUMA Team

About Bob

Bob Kennedy is arguably one of the most well-known and well-respected U.S. distance runners of the modern era. While in college at Indiana University, Bob held several NCAA cross country and long distance titles. His passion for running began in high school where he claimed the title of champion in the 1987 National High School Cross Country race and 1988 National High School Mile. He is an American record holder in multiple events, two-time Olympian, many time NCAA champion, and the only American to break the 13-minute barrier in the 5000 meters. At the age of 35, Kennedy has now retired from his professional running career to take on new horizons in the industry not only with PUMA but also as the co-owner of The Running Company, a running specialty store with three locations in Indianapolis. Bob is known as an aggressive and smart competitor as well as a role model for aspiring athletes. With Olympic experience, American records, a successful business, and 16-month old twins, there is not a lot left for Bob to conquer. However, he does not see it that way.

Bob currently resides in Indianapolis, IN where he lives with his wife Melina and two children Marcus and Sophia.

Accomplishments

  • Officially retired from competition January 2006
  • American Record Holder at 3000 meters – 7:30.89
  • American Record Holder at 5000 meters – 12:58.21
  • 1996 Olympian at 5000 meters – 6th place
  • 1992 Olympian at 5000 meters – 12th place
  • Won 20 Individual Big Ten Championships at Indiana University
  • 1992 NCAA Cross Country Champion at Indiana University
  • 1991 NCAA One Mile run Champion at Indiana University
  • 1990 NCAA 1500 meter run Champion at Indiana University
  • 1988 NCAA Cross Country Champion at Indiana University
  • 1988 National High School One Mile Run Champion
  • 1987 National High School Cross Country Champion

    Photo Credits: Conné/ PUMA
Herzogenaurach, Germany, September 30, 2015
PUMA ANNOUNCES ENDORSEMENT DEAL WITH ASAFA POWELL
JAMAICAN FORMER 100M WORLD RECORD HOLDER BECOMES PUMA RUNNING AMBASSADOR

Asafa Powell will become an important ambassador for the PUMA brand in an Olympic year and beyond.  He will feature in both global marketing activations promoting Running Training product lines and brand campaigns in the lead up to the 2016 Olympics.  This partnership will also see PUMA working with Powell to design a ‘Sub-10 King’ line of sportswear and spikes.

Speaking about the new partnership with PUMA, Asafa Powell said, “PUMA has played a huge role in Jamaican Track & Field throughout my career - supporting the high school programme that fosters young athletes, partnering with the JAAA and JOA and elite athletes such as Usain.  It’s a brand I’ve been very familiar with throughout my career and their longstanding commitment to Jamaican athletics is key as we continue to build and work to maintain our recent successes.  They understand Jamaican culture, history, people and also the sport that this country loves, and I am very happy to be working with them.”

Pascal Rolling, PUMA’s Head of Sports Marketing for Running commented, “Having Asafa as part of our team here at PUMA is great news for us.  He has played such an important role in Jamaican track and field for more than a decade, demonstrating a consistently high level of performance throughout his sprinting career which is a great testament to a great man. He inspires those around him, is an excellent role model and will bring great value to PUMA in the years ahead.”  

Asafa Powell has run the most sub 10 second 100M sprints in the history of track and field. The Commonwealth, World Championship and Olympic medalist has dipped below the 10-second mark 93 times and was the first Jamaican to win the IAAF Sportsman of the Year.  Powell, who clocked the first sub 10 second time of the 2015 track season, was the first Jamaican to ever hold the world record for the 100m dash, with times of 9.77 and 9.74.

Boston, Massachusetts, february 25, 2021
PUMA RUNNING RETURNS IN 2021
Disrupt. Break away. Change the game. That’s how PUMA runs things and in 2021, PUMA Running is coming back—hard. 

PUMA’s history is packed with nearly 75 years of world records, firsts, and onlys from Abebe Bikila to Bill Rodgers to Sabrina Mockenhaupt to Usain Bolt. In industry years, this makes us faster since forever, and we believe now is the time for us to pick up speed again and spark change from the most sought-after marathon finish lines to local run communities.

We overhauled our products and developed new technologies to create an effortless run. Years of research and testing have gone into five new key styles—Deviate, Deviate Elite, Velocity, Liberate, and Eternity—all featuring our cutting-edge supercritical foam technology, NITRO.

“With PUMA Running, we set out to create an effortless run for runners,” said Erin Longin, Global Director of the Running and Training business unit at PUMA. “Our new running shoes feature our most innovative technologies, like NITRO foam, making the shoes extremely lightweight and responsive, to help you use less energy and run comfortably so you can reach your goals.”

The new PUMA Running range includes specially engineered designs for female runners including a brand-new women’s last developed for the female foot in all four styles. PUMA believes women are the future of running which is why we’ve signed some of the top distance athletes in the sport—Molly Seidel, Gesa Krause, Aisha Praught-Leer, Fiona O’Keefe, and Taylor Werner. 

“The more we researched our consumer we learned that the idea of change resonates with runners,” Longin said. “Runners always strive for change, to better themselves and the greater good so we landed on the concept of SPARK CHANGE to bring meaning and energy to everything we do in running.”

In addition to the five new styles launching, PUMA Running is providing the spark for a new generation of runners and engaging the running community through purpose-led initiatives. In partnership with Women Win and our athletes, PUMA is donating to foundations aimed at furthering women in sport. The PUMA Running Spark Change Fund will help to support charities with the greatest need in an effort to establish greater gender equity in the sport of running.

Deviate, Deviate Elite, Velocity, Liberate, and Eternity styles will be available globally March 4 on PUMA.com, PUMA Stores, and selected retailers worldwide.  

 

herzogenaurach, germany, april 20, 2021
PUMA signs long-term agreement with US pole vaulter KC Lightfoot
Sports company PUMA has signed a long-term agreement with US pole vaulter and collegiate (NCAA) indoor champion KC Lightfoot, one of the most promising talents in the United States. 

Born in Missouri, 21-year-old KC made headlines earlier this year, when he set a new indoor NCAA record of 6.00 meters, becoming only the 6th US athlete to clear that height. He will join PUMA’s strong line-up of pole vaulters, including world record holder Armand “Mondo” Duplantis and former Olympic Champion Renaud Lavillenie.

“I’m very excited to join the PUMA family in what is a very important year for my sport,” said KC Lightfoot. “Together with PUMA I look forward to scaling new heights at the upcoming events.”

Before becoming a professional pole vaulter, KC tried his hand at several other sports including dirt biking, baseball and even cliff and bridge jumping. 

“Pole vault is perhaps one of the strongest and most exciting events in all of track and field at this time,” said Pascal Rolling, Head of Sports Marketing Running at PUMA. “That is why we are very happy to welcome KC to the PUMA family and continue to make our mark on the sport.”

herzogenaurach, germany, august 13, 2021
PUMA celebrates historical Athlete Moments at the Olympic Games in Tokyo

Sports company PUMA has celebrated incredible moments of its sponsored athletes, many of them writing sports history at the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer. “These Olympic Games in Tokyo have been an amazing sports event that created many heroes and heroines, both nationally and globally, who delivered world-class performances on the track and pitches,” Bjørn Gulden, CEO of PUMA. “Given all the uncertainty before the Games, I feel the organizers did a terrific job in making these Games happen. We are incredibly proud of our PUMA sponsored medalists, as well as the rest of our athletes, who worked hard and gave everything to perform at their very best.”

Outstanding world-class performances were delivered by PUMA athlete when he clocked in 45.94s over 400m hurdles, breaking his own world record of 46.70s. In a much acclaimed race – labelled the ‘Best Race in Track&Field History – the 25-year-old Norwegian was said to have not broken his own world-record, but destroyed it. Between Edwin Moses’ world record of 47.45s in 1977 and Karsten’s world record of 46.70s from July 2021, the 400m hurdles record had progressed by 75 hundredths of a second. Then, in just one race in Tokyo, Warholm improved the world record by 76 hundredths – a performance unseen in 44 years. In addition, the sacrosanct 47 second mark in the 400m hurdles had only been broken six times before the Tokyo Olympic final. In this one race, three hurdlers ran under 47 seconds, with the silver medalist Rai Benjamin breaking Karsten’s old world record, running 46.17s. At the Rio Olympics in 2016, gold medalist Kerron Clement ran 47.73s and in the 2019 Doha World Championships, Karsten won in 47.42s. With these times, a hurdler would only have taken the sixth place in the final.

26-year-old Canadian sprinter André de Grasse raced to Gold over 200m in 19.62s and claimed Bronze in the 100m race in 9.89 seconds. With a track record of having participated in the 100m and 4x100m in the 2015 World Championships, in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m at the 2016 Olympics, in the 100m and 200m at the 2019 World Championships and in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m at the Tokyo Olympics, André is the World’s most consistent male sprinter. 27-year-old American Molly Seidel became the third American woman to ever win a medal in a marathon at the Olympic Games, when she finished in a time of 2:27:46, having had only run two marathons before competing at the Tokyo Olympics.

For what was the first time in athletics in the last 113 years, PUMA athlete Gianmarco Tamberi and Mutaz Essa Barshim decided to share the gold medal in the men's high jump, a true symbol of sportsmanship.

Pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis claimed his first Olympic title when he cleared 6.02m to win gold, but also attempted 6.19m, one centimetre higher than his previous best of 6.18m, the current world-record.

Jamaica’s Hansle Parchment surprised the world in an incredibly tight 110m hurdles final when he beat the undisputed favourite Grant Holloway, who had not lost a hurdles race since August last year. At the U.S. Olympic trials, Holloway only missed the 110mh world record by one-hundredth of a second, but in Tokyo, Hansle raced past him to win gold in 13.04s – labelled “one of the shocks of the Games”.

With a jump of 17.98m, Portuguese PUMA athlete and Olympic debutant Pedro Pichardo won gold in the triple jump, setting a new national record for Portugal, and winning the first gold medal for his country of any kind since 2008, and only the fifth ever.

The female 100m sprinters of the PUMA-sponsored Jamaica Olympic Association claimed Gold (Elaine Thompson-Herah), Silver (Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce) and Bronze (Shericka Jackson), having occupied 10 of the 12 places on the podiums since the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

The above are just a selection of historical performances of PUMA-sponsored athletes, who gathered a total of 22 Gold, 24 Silver, and 20 Bronze medals in Tokyo this summer. PUMA-sponsored Federations scored eleven Gold, 8 Silver and 7 Bronze medals.

For more than 70 years, PUMA has partnered with the most famous and successful athletes. Within PUMA’s brand mission to become the fastest sports brand in the world, the company has continued to focus on creating brand heat and developing product ranges that are right for its athletes and consumers.
 

Elite Performance Products for Elite Athletes


We have continued on our mission to design “stuff that works” and have significantly improved our product offering in our sports performance categories. In order to create PUMA’s fastest, lightest and most propulsive Track & Field spike, we have teamed up with Formula 1 brand Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 to apply engineering insights from Formula 1 and automotive world to create the EVOSPEED TOKYO FUTURE FASTER+ and the EVOSPEED TOKYO FUTURE NITRO FASTER+ for PUMA athletes, including Gold medalists Karsten Warholm and André De Grasse, Canadian 200m sprinter.

“This collaboration was very unique and it has given us the perfect product for us to work on the track - a spike that is really aggressive, with a really good forward propulsion, and it gives me all the tools I need to be the best version of myself,” said Karsten Warholm.

For our Olympic kits – worn by the athletes of 12 Athletic Federations, such as Jamaica, Norway and Sweden – PUMA improved the aerodynamics by optimizing air turbulences behind the sprinters to minimize the air drag that occurs while running at such speed. What usually slows sprinters down are air turbulences behind them caused by the air that is pushed by the athletes’ bodies and flows around them towards their backs. These turbulences will cause an air drag back. By strategically placing little brush knobs at the side of the kits’ sleeves and legs that change the turbulence patterns, PUMA minimized the air drag back.


 

“It is all about the athletes, their physical and mental training and their ability at the key moment to give their best,” added Bjørn Gulden. “At PUMA, we are motivated to help them perform at their very best.”

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herzogenaurach, germany, january 5th, 2022
WORLD RECORD HOLDER USAIN BOLT TALKS “ONLY SEE GREAT”

“Greatness is doing things that no one has ever done before” 

The world record holder and retired Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt speaks about his motivation to become the greatest sprinter of all time in a video interview with sports company PUMA.

With the ‘Only See Great’ campaign, PUMA explores the career paths of its brand ambassadors, as they talk about their own experiences to achieve greatness, listen to their hearts, and share their vision with others.

In this interview, Bolt talks about his extraordinary athletic performances, starting from the very first successes and setbacks to becoming a legacy.

“As a junior, I was really, really talented, but getting into the senior level, I was still kind of young and naive and felt like I didn’t need to work as hard to compete at a high level,” Bolt said. “Going to (the 2004 Olympic Games in) Athens and not actually making it through the first round really helped me to say: ‘you know what, I need to look at myself and understand that if I want to be the best or if I want to win an Olympic gold medal, I need to be more dedicated, I need to work harder’.”

While many titles, world records and medals followed, Bolt says that “dominating throughout the years is very important to the legacy that I built for myself. Anybody can win one Olympics, but to actually win three back-to-back Olympics over the span of eight to ten years is very difficult. For me, that’s how I kept myself motivated and focused because I didn’t skip a year, I didn’t focus on four years to come, I focused on every year throughout, because those years were also important to dominate and to keep training and work at a high level. He admits that he missed being at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo last year: “When I watched the Olympics, I really missed it. Especially watching the Mens’ 100m and not seeing a Jamaican in the finals really made me miss it and really wanted to be there. For me, the girls did extremely well for Jamaica. They really showed up. Again.” Bolt says he fully embraces the vision of “Only See Great”. “Greatness is just being yourself and dominating at a high level over years and doing things that no one has ever done before”, added the World’s fastest man.

The idea for PUMA’s “Only See Great” campaign was inspired by cultural icon, entrepreneur and philanthropist Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter who first said: “I only see great. I don’t see good. I don’t see compromise. We should always strive to make something great, something that will last.” 

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Eugene, USA, 14 July, 2022
PUMA signs rising 200m sprint star Abby Steiner

Global sports brand PUMA has signed 22-year-old US-American track and field athlete Abby Steiner. Her victory in the 200-meter final of the US Outdoor Championships in 21.77 seconds makes her the second fastest woman in the world over this distance this year. She will compete at this summer’s World Athletic Championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA.

PUMA x Abby Steiner

Abby holds both the women's indoor 200 meters American record as well as the NCAA record (outdoors) and was named nations best high school female athlete in 2018. She holds personal best of 10.90 seconds over 100 meters and 21.77 seconds over 200 meters. Earlier this year, she was named the National Women’s Track Athlete of the Year and the 2022 Honda Sport Award winner for Track & Field.

Just after setting a collegiate record at the NCAA championships in June this year, Abby Steiner won her first national title in the women’s 200 meters in Eugene, Oregon, with a time of 21.77 seconds.

“Abby Steiner is one of the most exciting upcoming stars in Track and Field,” said Pascal Rolling, Head of Running Sports Marketing at PUMA. “We believe that she will have a brilliant career and we want to be by her side and support her.”

“PUMA’s list of high-performance athletes is impressive and being one of them just feels amazing,” said Abby Steiner. “I am very happy to be part of the PUMA family now and I cant wait to take off.”

EUGENE, USA, JULY 15, 2022
PUMA signs fastest Woman alive Elaine Thompson-Herah

Global sports brand PUMA has signed five-time Olympic champion and fastest woman alive Elaine Thompson-Herah. The 30-year-old Jamaican will further boost the company’s impressive roster of track and field athletes ahead of the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA.

Elaine Thompson-Herah is the first woman in history to win the "sprint double" at consecutive Olympics, capturing gold in both the 100 meter and 200 meter at the 2016 Rio Olympics and again at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Apart from her historic Olympic achievements, Elaine Thompson-Herah became the fastest woman alive when she ran 10.54 seconds at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, USA, in 2021.

“We are thrilled that Elaine has chosen to join the PUMA family,” said PUMA CEO Bjørn Gulden. “With her speed she embodies everything we stand for as a brand. Elaine ran the second-fastest time in women's history last year and is only 0.05 seconds off a world record. She really targets the 100-meter world record and we want to help her achieve that goal with our most innovative performance products.”

PUMA has a long and rich history in Track & Field and has sponsored the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association since 2002. Elaine Thompson-Herah now joins her Jamaican compatriot, sprint superhero, world record holder and Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt.

“PUMA just felt like the right fit, a company that has been working with the World’s Fastest Man for decades,” said Elaine Thompson-Herah. “I’m excited to be part of such an elite group and can’t wait to get started. I really want to break the 100-meter world record. The current one has been undefeated for 34 years. Now is the time. I think there's still a lot I can unleash."

Herzogenaurach, Germany, August 10, 2022
PUMA signs South Korean High Jumper Woo Sanghyeok
Sports company PUMA has signed an agreement with successful South Korean high jumper Woo Sanghyeok, who will wear PUMA’s performance products starting at the Diamond League Meeting in Monaco

At 26 years old, Woo Sanghyeok already has several medals to his name such as gold at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade and silver at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene. In 2022, he set a personal best and the Korean Record of 2.36 meters at the indoor event in Hustopeče, Czech Republic.

“We are very excited to welcome Sanghyeok to the PUMA family,” said Pascal Rolling, Head of Sports Marketing at PUMA. “We believe he will be among the best high jumpers in the world in the next years.”

At PUMA, Woo Sanghyeok will join a roster of world-class athletes such as 400m hurdles World Record Holder Karsten Warholm, pole vault World Record Holder Armand “Mondo” Duplantis and Jamaican sprinters Shericka Jackson and Elaine Thompson-Herah.

São Paulo, Brazil, August 11, 2022
Sprinter Vitória Rosa is PUMA's new athlete and global ambassador
PUMA announces sprinter Vitória Rosa as its new athlete and global ambassador. One of the great names in Brazilian track and field, as well as a promise for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Vitória represented Brazil at the 2016 Olympic Games at just 20 years old and last year at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. In addition, the athlete was a gold, silver and bronze medalist at the Pan American Games in Lima 2019, South American champion in 2017, 2019 and 2021, as well as a finalist in the Outdoor World Championship in London 2017 with the Brazilian 4x100m relay team.

Currently, the 26-year-old is #20 in the world ranking for the 200m sprint and having competed since 2013, Vitória is in the best phase of her career. The athlete, in her competition debut wearing PUMA, broke the South American 200m record at the Oregon World Championships, with a time of 22.47s. The former record had gone unbeaten since 2011. Earlier this year, the sprinter also achieved the South American Indoor record in the 60m sprint with a time of 7.14s at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, being the first South American woman to be a finalist in this race.

The arrival of Vitória Rosa to the PUMA team follows the recent partnership between the global sports brand and the Brazilian Athletics Confederation (CBAt), in vigor until 2024, when the Paris Olympics will take place. Vitória also joins a strong team in the Women's category of PUMA Brazil, with names such as Bruna Marquezine, Isis Valverde, Larissa Manoela and Isa Pacheco, reinforcing the brand's support of women in sport.

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