Field Report
Halsall joins Arena Elite Team
Arena Swimear has emphasised its commitment to the UK market by signing up one of the rising stars of British swimming, Francesca Halsall. Robin Barwick reports
T
he current upsurge in British swimming at world level is epitomised by Francesca Halsall, the 20-year-old sprint specialist from Southport, who signed a sponsorship agreement with Arena Swimwear at the end of March. The deal is set to run through to the 2012 Olympic Games, and Halsall will become one of the premier ambassadors for Arena and its high- end performance and training swimwear and equipment.
Looking ahead to London
Halsall confirmed her place among the world’s
elite at the 2009 World Championships in Rome, when she claimed the 100-metre freestyle silver medal, second only to Germany’s Olympic champion Britta Steffen. Then in November Halsall followed up by setting a new European record in the 100-metre freestyle, of 51.19, in a FINA-Arena World Cup event in Singapore. Having posted such impressive results last year – when aged 19 – and with the London Olympics now only two years away, the potential for Halsall is enormous and her profile is set for a meteoric rise. “We are very proud to announce the entry of
Francesca Halsall into our Elite Team,” says Alessandro Carpignano, Arena’s general manager of International Business. “Last year, Francesca showed significant athletic growth, along with a great consistency in results. We are sure that Francesca will be an excellent ambassador for Arena in the UK, and with this purpose in mind she will be involved in advertising campaigns and communication activities with a view to the next Olympic Games in London 2012. I take this opportunity to welcome Francesca as a new Arena Team member, and wish her great success in the European Championships in Budapest, and the Commonwealth Games in October.” “I am delighted to be joining the Arena Elite
team and have the benefit of such a well established company supporting me through to the Olympics in London 2012,” says Halsall, a 50-metre and 100-metre freestyle specialist who is the first top-level British swimmer to join the Arena Elite Team. “I have a huge amount of faith in the company’s ability to produce world- class swimwear that I can rely on in order to reach my full potential and achieve the success I
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SGB SPORT APRIL 2010
Olympics now only two
years away, the potential for Halsall is enormous
“
and her profile is set for a meteoric rise
know I’m capable of. I feel privileged to be affiliated with such a talented team of swimmers.”
”
Racing conditions
Among the Arena products being used by
Halsall are the R-Evolution suit and Cobra goggles. Arena’s UK sales manager Richard Townsend assures Sporting Goods Business that the R-Evolution “is the fastest suit available under FINA regulations”. Made from Arena’s exclusive Racing fabric, the ultra-light, one-piece R- Evolution knee-skin suit comes with bonded seams, in sizes 28-38 and with an RRP of £220. Halsall is also wearing the Cobra high- performance racing goggles. Offering UVA protection, the Cobra goggles are shatterproof
and scratchproof, and come with small-fitting, mirrored lenses and a built-on silicone gasket, which is hypoallergenic. The Cobra goggles come with an RRP of £23, and like the R-Evolution suit, it is available for stocking immediately.
S
www.arenainternational.com
Olympic ambitions: Francesca Halsall in action (below), and above, wearing the R-Evolution suit and Cobra goggles from Arena
With the London
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