When track stars lace up their spikes, they're chasing speed—but sometimes, that pursuit comes with unforeseen risks. Just last month, 26-year-old sprinter Abby Steiner filed a lawsuit against Puma and the Mercedes-Benz F1 team, alleging that their carbon-plated shoes "seriously injured" her. Steiner claims the footwear "changed the foot and ankle mechanics during running," potentially contributing to or increasing the risk of injury. Now, her 2022 World Championships teammate and fellow U.S. Olympic medalist, Kenny Bednarek, is weighing in on the controversy.
Bednarek, who has been signed with Nike since 2019, didn't directly criticize Steiner or Puma. Instead, he took a measured approach: "Everybody's body is different. There's not much I can really speak on that. That's her own battle that she's going to fight." It's a diplomatic stance from a man who knows a thing or two about high-performance footwear.
Interestingly, Bednarek himself wears modern carbon-plated sprint spikes—specifically, Nike's Air Zoom Maxfly 2. Like Puma's "super shoes," Nike's spikes rely on the same carbon-fiber plate technology that has revolutionized track and field. Yet, Bednarek's experience has been starkly different from Steiner's. "I've never had issues, but that's not to say that there's something wrong with anyone else," he said, while also acknowledging that the shoes "do help." It raises a compelling question: if elite athletes are using similar technology, what went wrong in Steiner's case?
According to the lawsuit, Steiner alleges that Puma's carbon-plated and NitroFoam shoes caused serious foot and Achilles injuries, leading to multiple surgeries between 2023 and 2025. She claims the footwear altered her running mechanics, placing abnormal stress on her feet and ankles during sprints. The list of alleged injuries is extensive: bone stress injuries, stress fractures, foot strain, inflammation, bone spurs, Haglund's deformity, Achilles-related issues, and permanent damage requiring surgical intervention. Specifically, Steiner named Puma's Deviate Nitro Elite 2 & 3 and the evoSPEED Tokyo Nitro sprint spikes in her complaint.
At the heart of this debate is the carbon-plated "super shoe" technology—a category Nike is widely credited with pioneering. As the sport continues to grapple with the benefits and risks of these innovations, Steiner's case serves as a stark reminder that even the fastest feet can face unexpected hurdles.