Usain Bolt extends Puma sponsorship deal to end of 2013...

HERZOGENAURACH, Germany--Jamaican sprint world record holder and Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt (left/photo courtesy PUMA) announced Tuesday he has renewed his contract with long-term sponsor PUMA until the end of 2013. While the specific terms of the contract are undisclosed, the figure is by far the largest ever given to a track & field athlete, positioning Bolt as a top earner in the world of sport, a further acknowledgement of his astonishing achievements over the past two years.

Until the end of 2013, PUMA will continue to be the official supplier of performance, training and lifestyle apparel and footwear for Usain Bolt. PUMA and Bolt will continue to collaborate on the development of key product lines, building on the 2010 “Bolt Collection” launch, a range of apparel, footwear and accessories that the sprinter helped develop which include graphic elements representative of Bolt.

Bolt and PUMA have forged a close relationship over his formative years. When the World’s Fastest Man was just a boy of 16 in 2003, PUMA signed the junior sprinter. The brand and the athlete have matured together and Bolt, now 24, has emerged as the one of the world’s most talented track and field athletes, winning three gold medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and smashing two world records in the 100m (9.58) and 200m (19.19) at the World Championships in Berlin in 2009.

“Usain Bolt has been a revelation for track & field athletics,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO of PUMA AG. “He’s shined a global spotlight on the sport; his winning personality and phenomenal physical prowess are a unique combination. The way he both engages his fans and is energized by them has helped his popularity escalate to extraordinary levels over the past two years.”

“PUMA’s been by my side since the beginning, before anyone knew what I was capable of achieving,” said Usain Bolt. “They saw potential in me and they took a chance, supporting me all the way, especially when things weren’t easy for me due to injuries I suffered in my teens. We’ve been partners in the truest sense of the word since day one, and so it’s an easy decision to re-sign with them,” continued Bolt. “PUMA gets me; we fit together. They take the business of running seriously, but we also know how to have fun, to be spontaneous. We both bring a lot of personality to the sport.”

For more information about PUMA and Usain Bolt, please visit: puma.com/running

NOTE: The media relations staff at PUMA contributed to this report.