Two more sprinters are now suing Puma and Mercedes F1, claiming their shoes caused them to suffer “severe and permanent” injuries. Olympian Damion Thomas Jr. and World Championship Gold Medalist Champion Allison claim the injuries essentially ended their track careers.
They now join former NCAA champion sprinter Abby Steiner, whose lawsuit against Puma and Mercedes F1 became public back in April.
A series of foot injuries derailed Stiner’s sprinting career, and in the lawsuit she brought against the manufacturers, she claimed the shoes were a major factor. According to Steiner, the carbon fiber plate and nitrofoam technology in the shoes that Puma created in partnership with engineers for the Mercedes Formula 1 team are to blame for her injuries.
Damion Thomas Jr. agrees with Stiner as he has dealt with his own spate of injuries that he blames on the shoes. Two of the shoes listed in Thomas and Allison’s lawsuits are the Puma Deviate Nitro 2 and Deviate Nitro Elite 3.
“When I learned about Abby Steiner’s lawsuit, it was the first time I considered that what happened to me wasn’t just bad luck,” Thomas said in a press release. “Like a lot of athletes, I assumed my injury was something I had to deal with on my own. If it took a lawsuit for me to realize I wasn’t alone, there have to be thousands of other athletes out there who still don’t know.”
Both Allison’s and Thomas’s complaints, filed in the same Massachusetts Superior Court as Steiner’s, assert that the sprinters began wearing Puma gear in 2022. They each make claims similar to those in Steiner’s lawsuit, asserting that Puma’s use of nitrofoam and carbon fiber plates increased the risk of injury.
The lawsuits specifically blame the carbon fiber plate and nitrofoam technology
The lawsuits claim the shoes “could place abnormal and unnecessary stress on athletes’ feet and lower legs, contributing to life-altering injuries.” They also state that Puma and Mercedes F1 “had an obligation to ensure the Puma shoes were safe, free from defect, and not unreasonably dangerous.”
The complaints also claim that Puma and Mercedes were aware that the shoe designs, including the carbon fiber plate and nitrofoam technology “and other design features, altered the biomechanics of runners or the manner in which the stresses of running impact their bodies” and “changed the foot and ankle mechanics during running that may contribute to or increase the risk of injury.”
“As professional athletes, our bodies are our livelihoods,” Allison said in a news release. “When you sign with a major brand, you trust that the equipment they put on your feet has been tested and is safe. You don’t expect that what they’re giving you might be the reason your career is falling apart and that they should have known the risks.”
According to NBC Boston, both Puma and Mercedes said they couldn’t comment on pending litigation, but Puma did say in a statement that their “products are worn by athletes performing at the top of their game in distance running and track and field, breaking records, including the world record in 60m hurdles, pole vault, and high jump. We consistently collaborate with our athletes to provide products that meet their needs.”