Rebecca Adlington to be new face of Speedo
British Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Adlington will be announced as the new face of swimwear brand Speedo on Thursday, according to the Telegraph.
Adlington will join Michael Phelps, who won a world record eight golds at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, as Speedo’s official face of the world’s biggest swimwear brand. Phelps has been sponsored by Speedo since he was 16 and received a $1 million bonus for winning over seven gold medals in a single Olympic Games as part of the contract.
After securing her medals in China it was predicted that companies such as BP and BT could offer Adlington up to £100,000 a year each to endorse their brands.
“[She] represents a fantastic opportunity [for brands],” commented PR and brand specialist Mark Borkowski after the Beijing Olympics. “She has become an over-night British figurehead.”
Adlington wore Speedo’s revolutionary LZR Racer swimsuit when she swam to two gold medals in Beijing, becoming the first British woman to win an Olympic swimming race in 50 years and the most successful British swimmer in a century. The 19-year-old from Mansfield already trains in Nottingham where Speedo has their headquarters.