Adidas on the Come Up?

Adidas isn't playing around when it comes to the world of sprinting.  Having looked around at what Usain Bolt did in Beijing, at the 2008 Olympics, rumor has it that they've signed, what they hope to be the next "fastest Jamaican to lace-up some spikes" in 19-year-old Yohan Blake.

The 19-year-old Blake has been running on all cylinders and set a personal best at the 2007 Carifta Games by setting the national junior record of 10.11 seconds in the 100m.  

This past weekend, at the Fifth Camperdown Classic, Blake ran a 46.80 seconds in the 400m.

Word around JA is that Blake signed a five-year $1 million (US) deal with the 3-stripes that allows him to pursue his education and training gearing up to the 2012 Olympics, where he would very well compete against training-partner Bolt.  This is going to be very interesting!

So, keep your eyes peeled for Blake, for now you've been brought into the belly of the beast that is track and field.  More FIRE!!!

Adidas on the Come Up?

Bolt: Yeah Man!

Bolt: Yeah Man!

Bolt dashes hopes in Beijing

When Usain Bolt was seen holding up his Theseus II spikes from PUMA, it confirmed once again that Nike and Adidas had been getting b*tch slapped, not only by Li Ning, but by the often-overlooked PUMA brand at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The world's fastest man blew out of the starting block and with 20 meters left, he looked left and looked right to gauge where the competition was and then proceeded to celebrate in a way typically seen only after racers cross the finish line. He had just run a 9.68 unofficial time to be later confirmed as 9.69 by the judges.

As he headed to the finish line, Bolt pounded his chest and began celebrating the win that was billed as the-race-for-the-ages, pitting him against his fellow countryman, Asafa Powell, and Tyson Gay from America. Gay failed to qualify for the final and Powell finished a disappointing fifth in 9.95.




As Bolt circled the National Stadium dancing and blowing kisses to the stunned crowd of 90,000, one could only imagine what the scene was like on the island of Jamaica.

By PUMA having signed Bolt it was more than just a race. It was a show down of brands between Nike which signed Asafa Powell and Adidas which has Tyson Gay. “It was a great allusion to the footwear wars,” says Larry Eder, who runs Running Network, an athletics website.



Due to the Olympic 100m final being a race the world watches, sportswear sales are driven by the race and used as a tool for signing top athletes to a brand. It's a battle between Nike and PUMA to sign the top Jamaican sprinters.

The Jamaican federation was signed to PUMA, but many of it's athletes signed individual deals with Nike. The only athlete that PUMA was able to keep was Bolt, and they have to be ecstatic right about now!

Bolt dashes hopes in Beijing