The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE most decorated swimmer in Bahamian history added another milestone to her already impressive résumé when she inked a sponsorship deal with a world leader in technical swimming products.

FINIS announced the signing of Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace yesterday as the two time Olympian and Bahamian national record holder became the latest athlete to join one of the sport’s most recognisable brands.

Vanderpool-Wallace expressed her excitement about the new venture on various social media outlets, including Twitter, where she tweeted: “And I can officially announce I have joined Team FINIS! I couldn’t be more excited moving forward.”

The FINIS sponsorship comes during a season where Vanderpool-Wallace has raced out to a fast start early in the year, training with the Mecklenburg Aquatic Club (MAC) under the watchful eye of US Olympic coach David Marsh.

In February, she won the 50m freestyle in the Arena Grand Prix Swim Meet in Orlando, Florida, in 25.55 seconds. She also finished third in the 100m freestyle in 55.41 and sixth in the 100m butterfly in 1:01.32. 

The Arena meet series attracts some of the top swimmers in the world while showcasing some of the top Olympic swimmers.

Vanderpool-Wallace, 24, now has her sights set on a third Olympic berth at the Rio 2016 Olympics in Brazil.

“We’re very pleased to have Arianna become a part of our team,” said FINIS CEO John Mix in a press release. “She is an amazing talent with a bright future ahead of her. She is training with some phenomenal athletes and is putting in the work that makes that little bit of difference in the sprint events. We’re excited to see what is to come, the sky is the limit.”

The two-time Olympian rose to national prominence with her historic performance at the London 2012 Olympics. She became the first Bahamian to advance to an Olympic final in the pool, when she swam to an 8th place finish (24.69) in her specialty, the 50m freestyle.

In her first appearance in the Olympics in Beijing, China, in 2008, Vanderpool-Wallace finished 28th in the 100m free (55.61) and 24th in the 50m free (25.40). 

After a storied career at Auburn, Vanderpool-Wallace made the transition to the professional ranks in September 2012. She was an 18-time All-American at Auburn, won 10 Southeastern Conference (SEC) titles and double NCAA titles in the 50m and 100m free in 2011. 

She was also named the SEC Women’s Swimmer of the Year and SEC Commissioner’s Cup Winner, both in the same year.

On the national scene, Vanderpool-Wallace represented the Bahamas at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games, winning two gold and two silver medals. She also competed at her second FINA World Championships in Shanghai, China in 2011, advancing to the finals in the 50 freestyle, where she finished seventh in 24.79. Her first appearance at the global championship took place in 2009 in Rome, Italy.

According to its website, FINIS was founded in 1993 in Northern California by Mix and Olympic gold medal swimmer Pablo Morales.

The company is based on the belief that improving technique is the secret to swimming faster and the duo went on to introduce innovative tools to the swimming community. Many of these products are currently used by US and international Olympic teams, elite triathletes and fitness swimmers worldwide.

Vanderpool-Wallace joins the FINIS group of sponsored athletes which also includes Olympic swimmers Jason Dunford of Kenya, Anthony Ervin and Mallory Weggmann of the United States, Pero Oliveira of Portugal, Roy-Allan Saul Burch of Bermuda.