New Delhi: Rhiti Sports Management – India’s premier Sports Marketing and Events agency – today announced that it has roped in 2008 Beijing Olympic Triple Gold Medalist and the first woman swimmer in the history of the game to clock under 4.30 minutes mark in a 400 meter individual medley event, Stephanie Rice, in its elite panel of celebrity athletes. Rhiti Sports will exclusively manage the marketing and sponsorship rights for Australia’s Golden Girl in India.
The ace swimmer who had a very humble up-bringing in Queensland, went onto become one of the biggest names in the sport when she transformed her form into three Olympic gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympic games, all in world record times.
Currently busy with her Australian business involving launch of her own kids “RACE” swimwear line, hosting corporate swimming clinics, media appearances, health & fitness programs, the swimming sensation now has plans to set up swimming academies in India exclusively through Rhiti Sports and is looking forward to mentoring young talent in the country.
The 26-year-old who announced her retirement from the competitive sport in April this year due to series of injuries, said, “I’m really excited on the opportunity to join Rhiti Sports which already manages some of the biggest sports names in the world. I feel India is a land of immense sports potential and all that you need to do to convert it into Olympic medals is provide good infrastructure along with proper coaching. I hope through Rhiti Sports, I’m able to fulfill dreams of those youngsters who want to become world-class swimmers.”
Earlier this year, Stephanie Rice was also included in US Men's Fitness magazine list of hottest athletes on the planet.
“We’re thrilled to have Stephanie Rice on board. Swimming is considered to be a very glamorous sport and has a lot of scope in our country. We’re proud that with our association with Stephanie, we can contribute in its growth.” Said, Arun Pandey, Chairman & MD, Rhiti Sports Management.
Besides Stephanie, Rhiti Sports Management also manages marketing and sponsorship rights for high-profile cricketers like MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Pragyan Ojha, Ravindra Jadeja and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Stephanie Rice’s Career Profile:
Living by the motto, Be the Best You Can Be, three time Olympic Gold Medalist and world record-breaking swimmer, Stephanie Rice is renowned as one of the Australia’s golden girls.
The talented swimmer first caught Australia’s attention in 2006, when at 17 years of age, she won gold in the 200 and 400 Individual Medley at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games. She then went on to win multiple medals at international levels, before her unforgettable three Gold Medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Only six others have managed such a treble at a single Olympics: runner Betty Cuthbert and swimmers Murray Rose, Shane Gould, Ian Thorpe, Petria Thomas and Jodie Henry.
Rice won the 200m and 400m individual medley events, both in world-record times, then led her team to unexpected victory in the 4 x 200m freestyle relay final. The girls not only wiped more than five seconds off the world record but also left the highly competitive US and Chinese teams in their wake. It was an event in which the US had never been beaten. Stephanie was the first woman in the history of the games to go under 4.30 minutes mark in the individual 400 medley event.
These huge accomplishments saw Stephanie Rice names “Most Outstanding female athlete at the Beijing Olympics” and honored with the role of flag-bearer during the closing ceremony. This took Stephanie to another level, becoming a role model for all young Australians, being awarded a number of titles including, World Swimmer of the Year, Telstra Australian Swimmer of the Year, Pacific Rim Swimmer of the Year and Queensland Sportswoman of the Year. To top it all off, she was awarded the prestigious Medal of the Order of Australia.