London 2012 Olympic Gold medallists Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee, who respectively won gold and bronze medals at Hyde Park last summer have agreed a long-term sponsorship deal with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).
In the build-up to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, and encompassing two GSK owned brands – Maxifuel and Lucozade Sport – the brothers will benefit from tailored nutrition support from Maxifuel and a targeted focus on hydration via Lucozade Sport and the Lucozade Sport Elite sub-brand.
Maxinutrition – the company behind Maxifuel and Maximuscle – was snapped up by healthcare and sports drink giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for £162 million in 2010. Adding Maxifuel to its existing Lucozade Sport brand helped GSK take a major step forward in the fast growing sports nutrition category.
Commenting on the deal, London 2012 Gold Medallist Alistair Brownlee said “With endurance sports such as triathlon, nutrition is key and can really alter the outcome of a race. Jonny and I have had our fair share of incidents when we have pushed our bodies to extreme exhaustion. It is great to be supported by experts like Maxifuel and Lucozade Sport who will help ensure that we are race ready.”
London 2012 Bronze Medallist Jonny Brownlee added, “Triathlon demands a lot from the body both in competition and in training. When we are out training in the Yorkshire Dales for hours at a time the sports nutrition that Maxifuel and Lucozade Sport provide is essential to keep us going, especially when Alistair gets us lost.”
It is clear that the Brownlees are a tremendously important face of the international triathlon community. Their performances in recent years, and notably the successes at London 2012, have boosted their appeal to sponsors. GSK follows the recent wetsuit sponsorship of the brothers by UK based brand Huub.
This most recent deal with Maxifuel and Lucozade Sport should help to catapault both of the brothers towards an increasing appeal amongst mainstream media – helping to boost awareness of triathlon overall.
Charles Leslie, Marketing Director of Functional Beverages at GSK Nutrition, said “The Lucozade Sport Elite range has been developed to support top athletes in their everyday performance requirements in training and competition, ensuring they have the right fuel, hydration and focus to perform at the highest standard.
“The Brownlee brothers are no strangers to a tough challenge; we look forward to working with them to ensure that they are in the best condition possible as they take to the start line.”
Mark Morgan, Maxifuel Senior Sponsorship & PR Manager added “We are excited to be working with two such incredible athletes and are sure that our products and expert nutritionists will be able to support their performances in the build-up to their next big challenge.”
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