Former Kentucky track star Abby Steiner to go pro, signs with PUMA
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
When Abby Steiner arrived at Kentucky from Dublin Coffman High School in 2018, she was a two-sport athlete, trying to balance soccer and track, admittedly not knowing much about the latter.
But in her first track practices, she vowed to give it her best and see where it would take her.
Four years later, Steiner, a record-breaking sprinter and USA Track & Field national champion, is turning pro, signing with global sports brand PUMA.
“It’s a weight off my shoulders,” Steiner said. “It’s like everything you have worked for is coming to life. I don’t think it’s really sunk in just because it’s such a real blessing. I couldn't be more excited about my choice, and I can’t wait for this next chapter with them.”
Here are the records held by Abby Steiner
Steiner holds the American women’s indoor record and the NCAA outdoor record in the 200-meter dash, winning the US Outdoor Championship in a time of 21.77-seconds, making her the second-fastest woman in the world over that distance this year.
Steiner, a 15-time All-American, is the American, collegiate, Southeastern Conference and Kentucky record-holder in the indoor 200-meters, along with holding collegiate, SEC and Kentucky records in the outdoor 200-meter dash and 300-meters.
She'll leave Kentucky with four NCAA championships, and she'll next run in the World Athletic Championships in Eugene, Oregon, this summer.
“Abby Steiner is one of the most exciting upcoming stars in Track and Field,” Pascal Rolling, head of running sports marketing at PUMA, said in a statement. “We believe that she will have a brilliant career, and we want to be by her side and support her.”
At Coffman, Steiner won four consecutive state outdoor titles in the 200, along with state titles in the 100 during her final three seasons of high school. On the soccer field, she helped Coffman to a Division 1 state runner-up finish in 2014, earning district Player of the Year honors as a sophomore, before tearing her right ACL in 2016 and electing to compete at the club level as a senior in 2017.
Steiner played 19 games for the Kentucky women’s soccer program in 2018, but then shifted her focus solely to track.
“The goal has always remained to be intentional every day at practice and fulfill all the goals I have for myself and see where that can take me and how that can inspire people,” Steiner said. “There’s been a lot of ups and downs along the way, but it’s been a great journey and I wouldn’t change a thing about it.”
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: UK's Abby Steiner, USA national champion, signs with PUMA
