Score another accurate prediction for the Swim Aids!

Speedo sent this over today, so we thought we’d post and share with the world!

SPEEDO®, the top-selling swimwear brand in the world, today announced a four-year contract with 22-year-old sprint star Ben Wildman-Tobriner. Earlier this year, Wildman-Tobriner burst onto the international scene swimming a 21.88 in the 50m free to win gold and his first-ever world title at the 12th FINA World Championships in Melbourne in March. In August, Wildman-Tobriner improved upon that time winning the U.S. National Title in the 50m free with a time of 21.80, just missing the American Record by four-one-hundredths of a second. The agreement, which runs through 2010, is designed to help Wildman-Tobriner reach his goals in the water while also supporting his charitable efforts.

Wildman-Tobriner decided to postpone medical school and turn pro following an accomplished collegiate swim career at Stanford University, where he graduated with a degree in biomechanical engineering. At the 2007 NCAA Swimming Championships in Minneapolis, just two weeks before Melbourne, Wildman-Tobriner set a new American Record in the 50 yard free with a time of 18.87. He is aiming to make his first-ever Olympic team in 2008 and will enter next summer’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials as a favorite in the hotly contested 50m free.

Wildman-Tobriner is represented by David Arluck, President and CEO of Arluck Promotions Inc.; the company also represents veteran sprint star and fellow Team SPEEDO® member Gary Hall Jr.

“I am very excited to be joining SPEEDO® at the launch of my professional swimming career,” said Wildman-Tobriner. “I look forward to again showing the world what I can do and I’m grateful for SPEEDO®’s support as I aim for Olympic gold in Beijing.”

“The month of March really put Ben on the map with his incredible performances at NCAA’s and World Championships,” said Stu Isaac, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Team Sales. “SPEEDO® is all about speed and the brand has long worked with the top sprinters in the U.S. We are excited for Ben to join a roster of sprint stars that includes veterans like Gary Hall Jr. and Neil Walker and rising stars like Kara Lynn Joyce.”

As an advocate for the Boys & Girls Club of San Francisco, where he first began swimming at age 12, Wildman-Tobriner remains involved with the chapter’s swim program. As part of the agreement, SPEEDO® will pledge a contribution equivalent to 5% of Wildman-Tobriner’s performance bonuses to the organization. A San Francisco, Calif. native, Wildman-Tobriner, will remain at Stanford University to train with Stanford Swimming.

Wildman-Tobriner won his first U.S. National title in 2005, edging out then-World Champion Roland Schoeman in the 50m free at Nationals. That same year, he won bronze in his specialty at the Duel in the Pool exhibition meet versus Australia. On the international stage in 2006, he took fifth in the 50m free at the Pan Pacific Championships in Victoria, BC.

Team SPEEDO® members include Michael Phelps (USA), Natalie Coughlin (USA), Ian Crocker (USA), Katie Hoff (USA), Kate Ziegler (USA), Ryan Lochte (USA), Jessica Hardy (USA), Tae Hwan Park (South Korea), Libby Lenton (AUS), Leisel Jones (AUS) and Grant Hackett (AUS).

SPEEDO® is a registered trademark of and used under license from Speedo International Ltd.

Warnaco Swimwear, Inc., a division of The Warnaco Group Inc. (NASDAQ: WRNC), is the authorized licensee of the SPEEDO® trademark in North American and the Caribbean.

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