Puma is the new sponsor of world champion hurdler Karsten Warholm

German sportswear company Puma has signed a long-term sponsorship agreement with Norwegian hurdler Karsten Warholm, the reigning world champion over 400 metres hurdles. Puma will fully equip the 23-year-old, especially with the right shoes, which are of particular importance in his sport. At a press conference in Oslo on Tuesday, Warholm also met Puma ambassadors such as Usain Bolt, manager Pep Guardiola of Puma-sponsored football club Manchester City and football coach and former professional footballer Thierry Henry who just developed the Puma King Platinum with the sportswear company.

“Karsten is a fantastic athlete with a great personality,” commented Bjørn Gulden, CEO of Puma, in a press release yesterday. “He is mentally very strong and he works extremely hard to be the best. We look forward to working with him and to being part of his journey.”

Warholm is a naturally talented athlete who began his career in octathlon and decathlon, winning gold at the World Youth Championships in 2013 and silver at the European Junior Championships of 2015. He then focused on 400 metres hurdles, stunning the world by winning gold at the World Championships in London at only 21 years of age. On Saturday, he rewrote history once again at the London Anniversary Games by breaking the European 400m hurdles record for the second time this summer, clocking 47.12 seconds, which he had already broken in June this year with a time of 47.33 seconds.

“It is great to be a part of the Puma family, a company that has worked with the fastest man alive,” said Karsten Warholm in the press release, referring to Puma ambassador Usain Bolt. “I have a strong believe in this cooperation and I can’t wait to get started”.

For Warholm, the sponsorship contract means that with Puma's support, he can concentrate fully on his sport and on beating his personal records.

Photo: Puma