The new limited edition of the Puma Suede

When he was 24, Texan athlete Tommie Smith won the gold medal for the 200 meters at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. Standing on the podium, playing the American anthem, Smith raised his fist wearing a black glove in the now-famous Black Power salute along with bronze medal winner John Carlos – a gesture of protest against the systemic racism of the United States that went down in history as the strongest political statement in the history of the modern Olympics. That day, Smith was wearing a pair of sneakers: the Puma Suede.

Today, Puma has decided to create a limited edition of the iconic Suede sneaker for its brand ambassadors, athletes and key partners to celebrate Tommie Smith's legacy and her fight for equality.

The new limited edition Puma Suede is not only a tribute to Smith, who has signed the certificate of authenticity that accompanies each pair along with a serial number, but also the beginning of a project aimed at casting a spotlight on the key figures of athletes who over the decades have brought up the name of Puma. The next "chapter" of this series of tributes will be former US basketball player Walter "Clyde" Frazier. Recalling his collaboration with the Global Sports Brand, Smith himself stated:

I've been working with Puma for over 50 years, because I consider this company as a family and not just as someone who gave me shoes to run. And those shoes that I ran with, they're the same ones that got with me on the victory podium.