by Larry Eder
One of the most highly anticipated professional debuts in track & field will be Abby Steiner competing at the 200m distance in the World Championships this coming week in Eugene, Oregon (July 14-25, 2022).
Abby Steiner has provided evidence of her sprint prowess and her promise for the future. Her wins at the NCAA at 200 meters (21.80) and her subsequent win at the USATF Champs (21.77) made Abby the most sought-after track & field athlete since Sydney McLaughlin.
PUMA has signed Abby Steiner and provided media with some wonderful photos and a nicely done press release. PUMA is also providing RunBlogRun with a live interview today. We will post that as soon as possible.
Abby Steiner is the focus of our most popular story on the site, RunBlogRun.
In the story, I quote Abby Steiner’s Twitter about privacy and mental health. It resonated with our readers. I think that this is a brilliant move for PUMA. Abby Steiner represents the approach that PUMA has been building on for Paris 2023: elite athletes who resonate in their home countries and abroad.
Among the other athletes that PUMA sponsors are Renaud Lavillenie, Mondo Duplantis, KC Lightfoot, Andre De Grasse, Karsten Warholm, Gianmarco Tambieri, and Molly Seidel.
In my interview with Abby Steiner (just completed) Bjorn Guilden came in and said, “You know that Abby is the future of our sport!” I could not have said it better!
And this is the official release from PUMA:
PUMA signs rising 200m sprint star Abby Steiner
Eugene, USA, 14 July 2022 – 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.
Abby holds both the women’s indoor 200 meters American record as well as the NCAA record (outdoors) and was named nation’s best high school female athlete in 2018. She holds a 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 can’t wait to take off.”
