Usain Bolt Signs New US$20 Million Deal With Puma... Bolting To The Bank

Sprint King Usain is Bolting to the bank with a new deal with sponsor Puma. Bolt is said to sign a new endorsement with the sports wear giant that will run through to 2013. The deal is said to be the highest for an athlete earning Bolt in the region of US$6-7 million a year.

Until the end of 2013, PUMA will continue to be the official supplier of performance, training and lifestyle apparel and footwear for Usain Bolt. Bolt will play a pivotal role in PUMA’s global marketing campaigns and serve as the central figure in the sportlifestyle company’s London 2012 Olympic program, expected to be launched early in 2011. 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 and his beloved Jamaica. Compelling new product initiatives will be launched in 2011 and the years that follow.

“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 decisionto 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.”

There are growing speculations that Bolt could earn as much as US$100 million in endorsement deals over the next couple of years. Nike was prepared to dish out as much as US$60 for the sprint king. But Bolt decision is to stick with Puma.