Six days after world champion sprinter Abby Steiner sued Puma alleging that its shoes caused career-ending injuries, the German shoe giant is pushing back.
“Puma is aware that a case has been filed. Unfortunately, we cannot comment on active litigation,” a Puma spokesperson said in a statement to Front Office Sports. “However, we strongly deny any allegation that our performance products cause injuries.”
Steiner’s lawsuit, filed April 24 in Massachusetts Superior Court against both Puma and the Mercedes F1 Team, claimed that the trainers and spikes she wore from them were “defective” and “unsafe” by increasing injury risk through their design and use of carbon fiber plate and nitrofoam technology.
Steiner was a star high school and college sprinter who signed with Puma in 2022. Her pro career fell apart over the next three years as she suffered a series of foot injuries that led to at least three surgeries.
Her lawsuit says that she is now unable to run competitively at the professional or Olympic levels.
In its statement, Puma said that its shoes were “worn by athletes performing at the top of their game in distance running and track and field, breaking records.” It also cited world records broken by Puma athletes in the women’s 60-meter hurdles (Devynne Charlton), men’s pole vault (Mondo Duplantis) and women’s high jump (Yaroslava Mahuchikh).
“We consistently collaborate with our athletes to provide products that meet their needs,” the Puma spokesperson continued.
Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix, which Steiner’s suit says is involved in the development and distribution of various Puma shoes, told FOS that it had “nothing to comment re ongoing legal proceedings.”
A four-time NCAA champion, the 26-year-old Steiner last competed at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, where she finished sixth in the 200 meters. She announced in August 2025 that she was “taking a step back from” running to pursue a master’s degree and take time to get healthy.
Steiner’s lawsuit cites the Puma Devitate Nitro Elite 2 and 3, as well as the evoSPEED Tokyo Nitro shoes as products that hurt her, as they “changed the foot and ankle mechanics during running” that increased injury risk. She said she “only recently” discovered that Puma was the culprit for her injuries, despite first sustaining them years before suing the brand.
Because of her injuries, as well as allegations that Puma knew their shoes were defective but claimed they were safe, Steiner is seeking financial and nonfinancial compensation from the brand. Damages include medical expenses, losses of potential career earnings and “the loss of full enjoyment of life and disfigurement.”
Lawyers for Steiner did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
