The Arena Elite Team brings on board another great champion: Cameron Van der Burgh

Tolentino, March 10^rd, 2009 – The Arena Elite Team, made of some of the biggest international swimming stars (Alain Bernard, Cesar Cielo Filho , Laszlo Cseh, Massimiliano Rosolino, to name just a few among the most renowned by the general public), recruits another very talented champion, the South African Cameron Van der Burgh.

Cameron Van der Burgh, 21, world-class breaststroker with huge potential for further growth, achieved a bronze medal during the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne. In 2008, Cameron conquered the swimming world fans’ attention, by winning the Best Male Swimmer Overall Award at the FINA ARENA World Cup, and by achieving three world records in 50m and 100m breakstroke (short course), at the Moscow and Stockholm competitions.

In Moscow, the young South African champion clocked an outstanding 56.88 in 100m breaststroke, improving by almost one second the record of 57.47, performed by Ed Moses back in 2002. During the same event, Cameron swam the 50m breaststroke in 26.08, taking the record from the Ukrainian Oleg Lisogor (26.17). Such a great result was even improved by 11 cents in Stockholm, making of Cameron the first man in the world breaking the wall of 26 seconds in 50m breaststroke (25.94).

“The decision to bring on board a young champion as Cameron Van Der Burgh - declared Giuseppe Musciacchio Arena Marketing Director – is a confirmation of Arena’s commitment to select and support the best swimming talents at world-wide level. As a matter of fact, Arena Elite Team key objective is to get the most out of a superb mix of Olympic stars and young champions of the future. Cameron is absolutely at the cutting edge of South African swimming, which has already produced true world-class swimming stars, such as Roland Schoeman and Ryk Neethling”.

The partnership between Cameron van Der Burgh and Arena will extend over the next four years, with the South African wearing the racing suits and technical equipment produced by the famous brand with the three diamonds until the Olympic Games of London in 2012.

“I finished 2008 was with outstanding results – said Cameron Van Der Burgh – with the world records achieved during the FINA ARENA World Cup, which prove my extremely good shape in this very moment. The possibility to co-operate with Arena, a leading technical partner that can offer the most advanced and innovative technology, represents for me a clear acknowledgement of the sports results achieved in the last two years, as well as a strong motivation to do even better in the future.

In the Arena Elite Team, besides Cameron Van Der Burgh, we can find Olympic Champions, like Alain Bernard (25) and Cesar Cielo (22), respectively Gold Medals in 100m and 50m freestyle at 2008 Beijing Games, the Hungarian Champion Laszlo Cseh (24), three times silver medal in Beijing (200m, 400m individual medley and 200m fly), behind the legendary Michael Phelps, and European record holder in all the three mentioned races, the Serbian Milorad Cavic (25), Olympic Silver Medal in Beijing and European record holder in 100m fly, the Norwegian Alexander Dale Oen (23), Olympic Silver Medal in Beijing and European record holder in 100m breaststroke, the Russian Yuri Prilukov (25), many times European Champion in 1500m freestyle, and the Italian Massimiliano Rosolino (31), who reached – during the 2008 European Championships SC in Rijeka – the incredible goal of 60 medals in international competitions, as well as the Polish champions Pavel Korzeniowski (24), Gold medal in 200m fly at the World Championships in Montreal (2005), and Mateusz Sawrymowicz (22), Gold medal in 1500 m freestyle at the Melbourne World Championships (2007) and the German Thomas Lurz, Olympic bronze medal in 10 Km (Open Water) at 2008 Beijing Games and two times World Champion in 5km (Open Water). Among women, Polish Champion Otylia Jedrzejczak (26), Olympic Gold medal in Athens 2004 in 200m fly and Gold medal at the 2005 World Championships in Montreal, always in the same race, and the very young South African Suzaan Van Biljon (21), winner of the Gold Medal in 200m breaststroke at the recent 2008 World Championships SC in Manchester.