Athletics: Former American sprinter Abby Steiner sues Puma for dangerous carbon plate shoes allegedly ruining her career

In the background for two years due to recurring foot injuries, the double world champion filed a lawsuit on April 24 against Puma and Mercedes Benz F1 Team, as revealed by Front Office Sports.

Portrayed in glory during the two world records at the London Marathon on Sunday, April 26, shoes equipped with carbon plates and reactive foam are still sparking debates. Viewing these technological innovations as dangerous to health, American sprinter Abby Steiner, a double world relay champion in 2022, decided to take legal action against Puma (her former sponsor) and Mercedes F1 Team (involved in the design of the German brand’s shoes).

Backed by evidence, the American sports economy specialist website Front Office Sports revealed on Tuesday, April 28, that Abby Steiner filed the lawsuit on April 24 with the Massachusetts Superior Court. In her complaint, the athlete believes that the spikes and shoes from the Puma brand with which she trained and competed were “defective” and “dangerous,” causing her multiple foot injuries.

She is seeking compensation for “significant bodily harm and damages suffered.” The document emphasizes, “The Puma shoes have caused severe and permanent injuries to the plaintiff, who is unable to participate in competitions, particularly at the professional or Olympic level.”

A prodigy in college competitions, Abby Steiner signed a contract with Puma in 2022. She still holds the US records in the indoor 200m and 300m. Gold medallist in the 4×400 and 4x100m relays in 2022, she has not competed since the US Olympic trials in June 2024. After undergoing multiple foot operations between 2023 and August 2024, Abby Steiner failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics. In August 2025, she announced her retirement from sports to focus on her studies.

Now 26 years old, the American details in her lawsuit that she only recently discovered that her former sponsor’s shoes could be the cause of her injuries due to technologies (carbon fiber plate and “nitro” foam) that “alter the mechanisms of the foot and ankle during running,” which “increases the risk of injury” and “stress fractures.” The athlete accuses both companies of promoting and selling their products as “safe and suitable” despite “reports of incidents, injuries, complaints, and damages related to normal use” of the shoes.

Launched in 2016 by Nike, these carbon plate and reactive foam innovations have since been adopted by all equipment manufacturers. The link between the use of these new generation shoes and the appearance of atypical injuries (particularly stress fractures) has been questioned for several years by athletes and doctors. However, no scientific study has yet definitively established causation.