14 Years After Retiring, FINIS Athlete Anthony Ervin Claims Gold at Rio Olympics to Become the Fastest Swimmer in The World

(Oakland, CA – August 31, 2016) FINIS, a worldwide leader in technical swimming development, is proud to support Anthony Ervin who at age 35, took home Olympic gold medals in the 50-meter freestyle and 4×100-meter freestyle relay at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio di Janeiro, making him the fastest swimmer in the world.

Ervin is no stranger to winning, as he also swam to a gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, in his signature event, the 50-meter freestyle and claimed a silver medal in Sydney as a member of the United States relay team in the 4×100-meter freestyle event. However, as opposed to taking the trajectory that most young decorated Olympians follow, Ervin retired from competitive swimming at the age of 22.

Believing that his swimming career was over and in a search to define himself outside the sport, Ervin spent several years traveling the world and exploring his other interests, including higher education, music and tsunami flood relief. Yet, he couldn’t quite give up the pool. Ervin decided to compete at his first race in seven years and on December 2011, won the Chesapeake Pro-Am, immediately establishing himself as one of the top five swimmers in the U.S. He went on to finish fifth at the 2012 London Olympic games and four years later, earned his second Olympic gold medal in Rio to mark an incredible comeback, while making him the oldest gold medalist in the history of Olympic swimming, a title previously held by the decorated Michael Phelps.

“We are very proud and inspired by Anthony’s incredible performance,” said FINIS CEO and co-Founder John Mix. “He is a great example of what dedication and hard work can yield to and FINIS is honored to have been a part of that process. It is great to see how our unique and effective training tools can help make a difference in the best swimmers on the planet.”

Ervin, a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, used FINIS products in training during his collegiate and post-collegiate swimming career and formalized a partnership with the company in 2013. Anthony explains how the FINIS Agility paddles, in particular, are an essential tool for maintaining the strength of his pull and helping him refine his swim technique. Along with the Agility paddles, Anthony consistently uses the FINIS Edge fins, Axis Buoy and Swimmer’s Snorkel to help him perfect his technique. Anthony credits FINIS training products as an integral part of his training regime, as technique is essential for him given that he is not as strong as some of his competitors. He has also been called “the most talented swimmer in the world,” by many accomplished swimmers such as Olympian Natalie Coughlin.

“The FINIS team has been incredibly supportive during my swimming career,” said Ervin. “Not only are their products the best on the market for training and racing, but the team is like family and I feel them rooting me on, and that makes a big difference when you’re competing at the highest level.”

Anthony will continue to race throughout the remainder of the summer before taking a break from training. He also recently published a book about how he rose to the top of the sport, crashed and found redemption. To learn more about Anthony Ervin visit http://ift.tt/1XMtfEY and to learn more about FINIS products, and education visit www.finisinc.com

About FINIS, Inc.

John Mix and Olympic Gold Medal swimmer Pablo Morales founded FINIS in 1993 with a mission to simplify swimming for athletes, coaches, beginners and lifelong swimmers around the world. Today, FINIS fulfills that mission through technical innovation, high quality products and a commitment to education. FINIS products are currently available in over 80 countries. With a focus on innovation and the fine details of swimming, FINIS will continue to develop products that help more people enjoy the water. wwwfinisinc.com

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