byLarry Eder
Duane Solomon, 2012 USA Indoors, photo by PhotoRun.netSaucony has a group of elite athletes that it supports. Many of the brands have sponsored local running clubs, local track clubs or a group of elite athletes. Saucony has picked a small group of athletes that work for the brand.
Here is how the Saucony recognized and congratulated their two gold medal winners from the 2012 USA Indoor Champs:
SAUCONY® ATHLETES CROWNED NATIONAL CHAMPIONS AT 2012 USA INDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Tianna Madison runs
world-leading time in 60-meter final, qualifying for World Indoor Championships; Duane Solomon defends title in 800-meters
LEXINGTON, MA (February 28, 2012) –
Global
performance running footwear
and apparel brand
Saucony today announced that Saucony athletes Tianna Madison and Duane
Solomon claimed 2012 USA National Championship titles to highlight the second day of the U.S. Indoor championships at the Albuquerque Convention Center on Sunday,
February 26th, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
In front of a near sell-out crowd,
Madison continued her dominance in the 60m this year by seizing the USA
Indoor title while equaling her world-leading time of 7.02.
Madison,
the 2005 World Long Jump champion, now holds the three fastest times in
the world this year and solidified her standing as fifth on the
all-time
U.S. performer list.
With her national title, Madison has secured a seat on Team USA for the
World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, March 9-11.
Solomon, a member of the U.S championships teams for the 2007 World Outdoor championships and 2009 World Indoor Championships,
was a wire-to-wire victor in the 800m final, surging ahead of the pack to win in 1:48.58.
“The
whole Saucony team congratulates Tianna and Duane on their amazing
performances,” said Mark Bossardet, vice president of sports
marketing for Saucony. “At Saucony our athletes are our heroes. They
inspire all of us to be better, to find our strong by elevating their
own. Tianna and Duane’s continued success is testament to their talent
and work ethic, as well as the products they train
and compete in. We’re proud to have them as part of the Saucony family.”
“I’m happy,” said Madison after her win. “It always feels good to execute after I’ve trained hard all fall. I will be
in Istanbul representing Team USA, and it will be an honor to do it.”
Madison wore the Saucony
Showdown sprint spike in the brand’s black and pink athlete edition to claim the
women’s 60-meter national title.
She continues to work with Saucony in developing a new line of track and field spikes starting with a long jump shoe.
“It felt very comfortable,” noted Solomon after the 800m final. “I actually had a kick at the end — I felt like I was
running 200s in practice. I wanted to go wire-to-wire and dictate the pace.”
Solomon was outfitted in the Saucony
Endorphin MD3 middle distance spike in the brand’s special athlete edition colorway.
Saucony, Inc.:
Saucony, Inc.,
a subsidiary of Collective Brands, Inc, is a leading global running
lifestyle brand that fuses performance, innovation and style to create
compelling footwear and apparel with its widely recognized brands
Saucony and Saucony Originals. Founded in 1898, Saucony
continues to inspire runners everywhere with its award winning
innovations, including ProGridâ„¢, PowerGridâ„¢ and ViZiPROâ„¢ apparel. For
more information, go to
www.saucony.com.
Collective Brands, Inc. (NYSE: PSS)
is a leader in bringing compelling lifestyle, fashion and performance
brands for footwear and related accessories to consumers worldwide. The
company operates three strategic units covering a powerful brand
portfolio, as well as multiple price points and selling
channels including retail, wholesale, ecommerce and licensing.
Collective Brands, Inc. includes Payless ShoeSource, focused on
democratizing fashion and design in footwear and accessories through its
nearly 4,500-store retail chain, with its brands Airwalk®,
Dexter® and Champion® and designer collections by fashion designers
Christian Siriano, Lela Rose, Isabel Toledo and Silvia Tcherassi;
Collective Brands Performance + Lifestyle Group, focused on lifestyle
and performance branded footwear and high-quality children’s
footwear sold primarily through wholesaling, with its brands including
Stride Rite®, Keds®, Sperry Top-Sider® Robeez®, and Saucony®, among
others; and Collective Licensing International, the brand development,
management and global licensing unit, with such
youth lifestyle brands as Airwalk®, Above The Rim®, Vision Street
Wear®, STRIKEFORCE™, Clinch Gear™, Sims®, Lamar® and LTD®, each of the
Collective Brand’s units can be found at
www.collectivebrands.com
