Kentucky graduate, Bowerman Award finalist, NCAA and U.S. champion, collegiate and American record holder confirms professional contract before making global debut at Hayward Field; Steiner looks to become first American to win 200 gold medal since Felix secured three in a row from 2005-09

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Abby Steiner, the reigning U.S. champion in the women’s 200 meters after sweeping the NCAA Division 1 indoor and outdoor titles in her final year competing for Kentucky, confirmed Thursday that she has signed a professional contract with PUMA ahead of the World Athletics Outdoor Championships.

Terms of the multi-year agreement were not disclosed, although Steiner is believed to be one of the highest paid athletes coming out of college in the company’s history.

“PUMA’s list of high-performance athletes is impressive and being one of them just feels amazing,” Steiner said. “I am very happy to be part of the PUMA family now and I can’t wait to take off.”

Steiner, 22, enters the 200 opening round July 18 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., with the No. 2 wind-legal performance in the world this year at 21.77 seconds. She equaled the No. 6 competitor in American history and matched the No. 18 all-time global performer.

Steiner is looking to become only the fourth female athlete to win a World Championships gold medal the same year she captured an NCAA title.

Perdita Felicien of Canada and American Brianna McNeal both achieved the feat in the 100-meter hurdles. Felicien, an Illinois graduate, won the World title in 2003 in Paris and former Clemson standout McNeal triumphed in 2013 in Moscow.

Tianna Bartoletta, a former star at Tennessee, captured the World long jump gold medal in 2005 in Finland.

Allyson Felix was the last American to capture a World gold medal in the 200, winning three in a row in 2005, 2007 and 2009. Brittany Brown, an Iowa graduate, secured silver for the U.S. in the 200 at the 2019 World Championships in Doha.

Steiner became only the second female athlete in history to run wind-legal 21.80 performances or faster twice in the same day with her semifinal and championship races June 26 at the USATF Championships at Hayward Field, joining Florence Griffith-Joyner at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

She concluded her Kentucky career with NCAA and American indoor 200 records by clocking 22.09, along with the collegiate record in the indoor 300 at 35.80, in addition to the NCAA outdoor all-time marks in the 200 at 21.80 and the 4x400 relay at 3:21.93. Steiner also joined former LSU standout Kimberlyn Duncan in 2013 in winning Division 1 indoor and outdoor 200 crowns, along with the U.S. national title in the same year.

“Abby Steiner is one of the most exciting upcoming stars in Track and Field,” said Pascal Rolling, Head of Running Sports Marketing at PUMA. “We believe that she will have a brilliant career and we want to be by her side and support her.”

Steiner is also a Bowerman Award finalist, joining Florida multi-event standout Anna Hall and Cal hammer thrower Camryn Rogers. All three athletes, along with Bowerman men’s finalists Trey Cunningham of Florida State, Randolph Ross of North Carolina A&T and Ayden Owens-Delerme of Arkansas are all scheduled to compete at the World Championships.