Durrant Pate/Contributor

Global sports brand PUMA unveiled the highly anticipated Jamaican Olympic apparel during the just-ended ISSA Boys & Girls Championships at the National Stadium on the weekend.

The new designs represent a nexus between speed and fashion, reflective of the symbiotic relationship between these two giants of track & field.

Rooted in elite performance, the kits have been designed to evoke speed with cut lines strategically placed to accentuate the physique of the athletes, while providing a showstopping visual via Warpspeed graphics that emphasise the beauty of an athlete in motion. 

Engineered jacquard fabric is ergonomically shaped to contour the back muscles for heat reduction and breathability with thermos adaptive technology regulating body temperature to enable optimum performance. The unveiling took place in front of more than 25,000 track enthusiasts from across the country, all gathering to feast their eyes on the future of Jamaican track & field.

Cutting-edge apparel 

This was the perfect platform to showcase the cutting-edge apparel that will adorn the fastest athletes on the planet this summer in Paris, many of whom competed at this event in their teenage years. Among the star athletes who took centre stage for the grand reveal were double, double Olympic Champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, and the fastest woman alive at the 200 meters, Shericka Jackson.

Also there were reigning Olympic Champion at 110m hurdles Hansle Parchment; the second-fastest man of all-time, Yohan Blake; former 100m World Record holder, Asafa Powell; World U-20 Triple Jump Champion, Jaydon Hibbert; Rushell Clayton, Ackeem Blake and many more. They were joined side-by-side on the track by young athletes from PUMA-sponsored high schools.

“Champs is the beating heart of Jamaica. For decades, it has produced an unimaginable number of Olympians, World Champions and World Record holders, who themselves have created some of the most memorable moments in sports history. Tonight, here in Kingston, we created another,” declared PUMA’s Chief Executive Officer Arne Freundt on the weekend.

Continuing, he said: “In their truest form these kits are an expression of speed. Speed has always been PUMA’s vantage point. It is what enables us to see the game differently, challenge convention and create moments that will live with us forever. We can’t wait to experience more in Paris this summer.”

Expression of speed 

Chief Product Officer at PUMA Maria Valdes added: “What makes these kits special is how closely they have been created in collaboration with our athletes. They are more than just a kit – they are a statement of the collective ambition shared between PUMA and Jamaica. They are a symbol of pride for the PUMA family, and we hope that they become a symbol of pride for Jamaicans this summer and long into the future.”