Athletics superstar Usain Bolt has maintained his long-standing connection to Puma by extending his endorsement deal with the German sportswear giant through and beyond the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The 27-year-old Olympic and world champion has been training and competing in Puma equipment since 2003, most recently wearing the evoSPEED performance spike which led him to the finish line at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow, where he won a total of six gold medals.
The Jamaican has been the face of multiple global marketing campaigns orchestrated by Puma, and will be the focus of product initiatives and brand marketing communication in 2014 and beyond.
Bjoern Gulden, chief executive of Puma, said: “Usain Bolt has been a partner of Puma since he was 16 years old. With our support, he grew from a young athlete with huge potential to a world and Olympic champion, claiming the title of the world's fastest man. We are very proud to extend our sponsorship contract with him because Usain is the perfect ambassador of the Puma brand. He will play a crucial role in our future product concepts as well as brand communications leading towards the Olympic Games in Rio 2016 and beyond.”
Puma will continue to head Bolt’s long list of endorsement contracts. He also enjoys partnerships with Gatorade, Digicel, Regupol, Hublot, Soul, Virgin Media, Nissan, Samsung, Celcom and Comcast.
In addition to its contract endorsement with Bolt, Puma has a longstanding commitment to Jamaican track and field. Since 2002, Puma has partnered with the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association and the Jamaica Olympic Association.