Grit, passion and hard work key ingredients to any athletes' success, says Mary Kom
Sports brand PUMA has signed 18 Indian athletes who will represent the country in national and international events across sporting disciplines like shooting, hockey, track and field, boxing, table tennis, discus throw and badminton.
It's a major step for the brand as it continues to push boundaries and celebrate diversity in sports. Through its brand campaign 'Only See Great', PUMA aims to explore the very idea of achieving greatness and how these athletes have strived for it during extraordinary times.
"I have been associated with PUMA for over two years now and I am proud of the fact that the brand has always been at the forefront of encouraging the spirit of sports. For any athlete, grit, passion and hard work are the key ingredients to success. My boxing journey has not been that easy, but with years of practice, hard work and determination, I achieved the improbable. I am glad to represent India in the international sports circuit after such a long time," said pugilist Mary Kom, who will be India's flagbearer in the Tokyo Olympics along with hockey captain Manpreet Singh.
Sprinter Dutee Chand said: "PUMA was my very first brand association and will always be very close to my heart. I'm thrilled and proud to see the brand encourage athletes across sporting fields and support them in their journey to achieve greatness. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, I believe that my hard work has brought me closer to my goal. My single focused aim is to win more laurels for the country in national and international sporting events."
With an aim to bring about a mindset transformation towards equality in sports, the brand is focused on supporting talent across multiple sporting disciplines.
In addition to ace boxing champion, Mary Kom and Indian national sprinter, Dutee Chand, the brand has signed a bevy of big-hitters like boxer Pooja Rani; track and field athlete Tejinder Singh; shooter Manu Bhaker; swimmer Srihari Nataraj; hockey players Rupinder Pal Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Gurjant Singh, Savita Punia, Sushila Chanu, Navneet Kaur, Navjot Kaur, Vandana Katariya, Gurjit Kaur and Udita Duhan.
The list also includes para-athletes like shooter Avani Lekhara; table tennis champ Bhavina Patel and discus throw athlete Ekta Bhayan.
