In 2021, when super spikes that pioneered carbon plates and energy return foam were in trend, it seemed track and field was moving into a new era. But some didn’t agree. Even Usain Bolt called such advances in spike technology “weird” and “unfair” at that time. Although it sounded like a passing concern that would settle with time. But 5 years later, another 2x World Champion has now sued Puma, alleging concerns arising from such spikes.

On April 24, American track and field star Abby Steiner filed a lawsuit in Massachusetts against Puma and Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix. The athlete alleges negligent product liability, claiming that the spikes from Puma were “defective” and “unsafe,” as reported by Front Office Sports.

She claims the shoes were poorly designed and caused her to suffer multiple career-ending injuries.

As further reported by the Athletic, Steiner claims that the shoe design, along with the carbon fiber plate and/or nitrofoam technology, “changed the foot and ankle mechanics during running that may contribute to or increase the risk of injury.”

To understand how things reached this point, the story goes back to July 2022, when Steiner signed a Puma deal. That summer, she was part of the U.S. team that won gold in the 4×100 and 4×400 at the World Championships. But in 2023, things went astray as Steiner experienced foot problems.

She was sidelined from the 2023 World Championships due to a heel injury. She returned to compete in the 2024 Olympic trials, but could not qualify. In 2024, Steiner even posted about her injury struggles on Instagram: “I was often limping around before & after my practices and getting through on sheer willpower to fulfill a lifelong dream.”

By 2025, Steiner had undergone a minimum of three surgeries and multiple rounds of rehabilitation for her foot injuries. She then announced that she would take time to recover and pursue a master’s degree in exercise science. But she hasn’t returned to track and field competitively ever since.

Now, Steiner is suing over multiple allegations. Negligent products liability for manufacturing and design defects, along with failure to warn. The last two counts focus on breach of warranty, specifically merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.

Steiner is now seeking both financial and non-financial compensation. Reportedly, the damages listed include medical expenses, lost earnings from her track and field career, and “the loss of full enjoyment of life and disfigurement.”

Front Office Sports further reported that the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 2 and 3, and the evoSPEED Tokyo Nitro shoes, were listed as shoes that injured her.

For now, Puma has not publicly responded in detail. But this isn’t the first time that shoes have been involved in lawsuits.

Nike previously faced a lawsuit from a track and field star

In 2023, former UC Berkeley Division I runner in track and field, Heather Cerney, was preparing for a race in San Francisco. She was one of many competitive runners trying to shave off seconds and had bought the Nike Alphafly 2, one of the company’s carbon-plated “super shoes”.

Shortly after that race, something felt off. She felt a sudden pain under her left foot, towards the big toe. What started out as a small problem quickly escalated. It was later diagnosed as a sesamoid fracture, which is a small but important bone that can impact running posture and balance.

According to her claims, the injury worsened to the point where she needed surgery followed by a slow and difficult recovery.

In 2025, Cerney sued Nike, claiming the Alphafly 2 was a contributing factor to her injury. In the lawsuit, she alleged that the design of the shoe’s carbon plate and structure placed an abnormal load on her forefoot and directly contributed to the fracture. She also claims Nike failed to warn about the product. As of now, the case is still ongoing.

So for a long time, while the super shoes have been heralded for improving running times, on the other hand, there are also cases like these that have been coming to the forefront.