Star sprinter Abby Steiner sues Puma alleging 'defective' and 'unsafe' shoes led to career-ending injuries

Star sprinter Abby Steiner sues Puma alleging 'defective' and 'unsafe' shoes led to career-ending injuries

In 2022, sprinting star Abby Steiner looked to be the next track and field superstar. After setting a collegiate record that year with her performance in the 200 m dash and winning a national title in that same event at the at the USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships, Steiner signed a massive deal with Puma in 2022.

That proved to be the beginning of the end of her running career. Between 2023 and 2025, Steiner sustained numerous foot injuries, which may have resulted in her failing to make the 2024 Olympic team.

A few months after announcing she was taking time off from running to heal, Steiner decided to sue Puma, alleging their “defective” and “unsafe” shoes are to blame for her injuries, according to Front Office Sports.

In the lawsuit, which was filed April 24, Steiner alleged she can no longer run on a competitive level due to injuries caused by Puma products. She’s seeking both financial and non-financial compensation from the company.

Steiner claimed — per the lawsuit — that Puma did not adequately test its shoes, misleading her and the public. She said Puma had an obligation to make sure its shoes “were safe, free from defect and not unreasonably dangerous.”

She said Puma promoted the shoes despite them being “unsafe, reasonably dangerous, defective and capable of causing injury and harms to consumers during ordinary, anticipated and foreseeable uses.”

Steiner then claimed the company was aware its shoes caused injuries. She alleged Puma knew its shoes altered the biomechanics of runners, caused bone stress injuries, increased the likelihood of foot injuries, caused irregular strain on feet and increased the risk of injury, per the lawsuit.

Steiner said she recently discovered her injuries may have been the result of Puma’s products, leading to the lawsuit.

Amid all those injuries, Steiner attempted to try and push through the pain in 2024 in an attempt to make the Olympic team. She finished sixth in the Olympic trails that year, failing to make the team.

Shortly after those trails, Steiner said she discovered she had bone spurs and a torn Achilles, leading to another surgery.