A year ago rumors circulated that the fastest woman alive Elaine Thompson-Herah reportedly sent a letter to the MVP Track Club and her main sponsor Nike, indicating her departure.
According to a report by Nationwide Radio last April last, Thompson-Herah was set to sign with Puma, one of Nike’s biggest rivals, in a “mega” deal. Thompson-Herah had signed a professional contract with Nike in 2016, according to the Observer.
As the story developed, Andre Lowe, Sports Editor at the Jamaica Gleaner, tweeted that “Derron Herah, the husband of Elaine Thompson Herah, is expected to take over coaching duties for the two-time double Olympic sprint champion after her intended split from MVP. Derron is the male sprint coach at St Jago high and was a member of the Cameron Blazers setup.”
Fast forward on Monday July 11, Thompson-Herah, upon departure from Jamaica for the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, was spotted at the Norman Manley International Airport sporting full Puma lifestyle gear, which importantly, included footwear, sparking questions over her status with Nike.
Thompson-Herah’s contract with Nike ended a few months ago and discussions with Puma have begun according to the Jamaica Observer.
Although she is yet to confirm the official split from Nike, Thompson Herah is seen on her Instagram Stories rocking Puma gears as she prepares for the Track And Field World Championships scheduled to kick off this week.
Thompson-Herah led the photo finish 1,2,3 performance at the Tokyo Olympic Games last year, becoming the first woman to defend back-to-back Olympic titles.
The Jamaican sprinter then recorded the second-fastest time ever at the Eugene Diamond League in Oregon.
However, after the Oregon meet, Jamaicans expressed their displeasure online about Nike’s perceived lukewarm support of Thompson-Herah.
The American sportswear giant had only posted a congrats for Elaine on their “Nike Running” page, which has 5.7M followers, and not their main @Nike page. At the time, the page, which has 169M followers, had only featured an ad with American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson, who placed 9th at the Diamond League.
Around the same time Nike also announced, a new partnership with Hot Girl rapper Megan Thee Stallion, according to TheFader.
A series of tweets by influential media personality Debbie Bissoon, kickstarted the tension between Nike and Jamaican social media users. Bissoon tweeted, “Hey @Nike I know I’m just one person but I’m not buying another Nike anything until you all do right by @FastElaine. Not even a congratulatory post on your IG??? I hope you are currently working on something with her”.
Hey @Nike
— Debbie Bissoon (@DebbieBissoon) August 23, 2021
I know I’m just one person but I’m not buying another Nike anything until you all do right by @FastElaine ….
Not even a congratulatory post on your IG???
I hope you are currently working on something with her.
The tweet quickly got thousands of shares, and retweets on both Twitter and Instagram from people all over the world who said, they were willing to join the Nike boycott. Dancehall singer Ce’cile was among those who replied, when she wrote, “I. Not buying either.. tha disrespect @Nike do better by our queen..#ElaineThompsonHerah”.
Leading up to the race last year, the Diamond League organizers were soft promoting Richardson alongside the Jamaican athletes. She was introduced as the 6th fastest woman and was asked to join the Olympic champions onstage at a press conference to much visible tension. She then commented, “this is nothing new, we are just back on the track now” while iterating that she has 2M Instagram followers.
She added, “lining up against these women is going to be an amazing race tomorrow, two of the women seen here are two of the fastest women to ever do the sport so I’m honored to be on the stage with them but I’m not star struck.”
After losing, she gave an erratic post-race interview where she said “I am not done”. And reiterated her 6th place.
More comments came from the Track and Field fans, who are growing impatient of Nike and other American brands and their apparent slighting of the fastest woman alive.
Businessman Wayne Chen responded to Micheal Johnson and wrote, “It is, and a reminder of why we should tell our own stories. An American media house focusing on an over-hyped American athlete is nothing new, and perfectly understandable. It’s all about eyeballs”.
@leiciasmoothy, in agreeing with Debbie Bissoon’s boycott campaign said, “I agree with this…. @Nike we are starting a movement and no matter how long it takes we are gonna see this through. @FastElaine definitely needs a new sponsor… @PUMA we think you should takeover from here for all our athletes, we won’t let u down”
Richardson, who failed to qualify for the Olympics due to positive test for a banned substance, is the leading 100m track and field athlete in America despite her poor performance on the world’s stage. When Richardson was suspended last month, Nike released a statement that said, “We appreciate Sha’Carri’s honesty and accountability and will continue to support her through this time.”
Usain Bolt’s Manager Nugent Walker in commenting on whether Nike dropped the ball on Elaine Thompson Herah told World Music Views, “Her rep and her sponsors I’m sure has great plans for her. Probably timing hasn’t allowed it to be materialized yet”.
