Speedo, the world’s leading swimwear brand, has signed American sprint freestyle swimmer Abbey Weitzeil to its roster of swimming superstars ahead of the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer.
Weitzeil, who won two medals (one gold, one silver) at the Rio Games in 2016, has signed her first sponsorship deal having graduated from the University of California where she represented California Golden Bears. She joins a long list of high-profile, successful female Speedo swimmers over the years, including former Bears alumni such as Natalie Coughlin, Missy Franklin and Kathleen Baker.
The 24-year-old is widely regarded as one of the top female sprinters in the USA. Following her exploits in Rio, Abbey again won one gold (4×100 mixed medley) and one silver (4×100 freestyle relay) at the 2019 FINA World Championships to cement her status as a valuable member of the USA relay teams. In the same year, she also became the first woman in history to swim 50 yards in under 21 seconds when posting 20.90 at the Minnesota Invite.
Currently, Abbey holds the American record in the 50m freestyle (23.45) and 100m freestyle (51.26).
Following the announcement, Weitzeil said: “I could not be more excited to be joining Team Speedo! It has always been a dream of mine and I couldn’t imagine myself racing in any other suit. With the support of such an innovative brand and everyone in the Speedo family, I have the confidence to go after my goals.”
Sean Kavanagh, Global Director of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship at Speedo, said: “Abbey is an incredible talent and we’re honoured to have her join the Team Speedo ranks. We’ve watched Abbey compete in our suits throughout college and we’ve monitored her progress closely as the records tumbled, so we’re naturally delighted that she’s now part of the family.
“Out of the pool, Abbey is a fantastic role model and has spoken passionately about promoting body positivity and empowering young female swimmers through her career. These are values that Speedo also shares and we look forward to supporting Abbey, both in and out of the pool, as best we can this summer and beyond.”
Abbey joins an exciting list of American Team Speedo swimmers ahead of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games including Caeleb Dressel, Kathleen Baker, Ryan Murphy, Kevin Cordes, Nathan Adrian, Hali Flickinger and Becca Meyers.
