United States suffered several defeats at the Olympic Games. USA ended up second in the medal standings, far behind China. The country lost its privileged role as leader in the sprint races. Also, the American teams didn’t win the gold for baseball and softbol. And, to make matters worse, Nike, the major American sport brand, was not very lucky.
On the other hand, the extra exposure for Puma, that was provided by Usain Bolt, was memorable. When he won the 200-meters sprint, the Caribbean runner took his Puma Theseus II off, with golden leather, sole and shoelaces. Then he kissed them.
It was a smart marketing move that overcame the exposure that Li Ning got. The former Chinese Olympic gymnast has now his own sports clothing line, and he was who lit the flame at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.
Nevertheless, Nike faced more bad news. Firstly, the American sprint team was left in the dust by Bolt. Secondly, the Chinese star Liu Xiang, who was a gold medal prospect in the men’s 110-meter hurdle, pulled out of this competition. Liu Xiang said he had a leg injury, but there is a rumor going around that Nike, his sponsor, forced him to pull out to avoid a defeat.
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