Sanya Richards has played an important role in raising brand awareness for NUTRILITE, while serving as a world-class testimonial of our products and their benefits. She has been a wonderful advocate for our company and shares our common goal to help all customers achieve optimal health. Sanya has been a great member of Team Nutrilite and her presence and support is much appreciated.
Amway has spent a great amount of time evaluating our sponsorship and endorsement portfolio to maximize our resources to best support our IBOs in their businesses. To that end, Amway / NUTRILITE has decided not to renew our endorsement with Sanya Richards. Our focus for now will be to invest in our Rock-n-Roll Marathon Series sponsorships, and our relationships with soccer stars Marta and Ronaldinho, as well as our sponsorship of the San Jose Earthquakes, L.A. Sol and A.C. Milan.
We wish Sanya all the best in her quest to remain the world's best in the women's 400M and thank her for all of her energy and hard work in support of the Nutrilite brand.
Travel and illness have kept me from the blog for the past few weeks, but a lot has happened since we last spoke. Of course Jenn was a late scratch for Berlin due to a nagging Achilles injury (but you'll be able to catch her at the Rock-n-Roll Marathon in Virginia Beach in a few weeks), however our Sanya Richards delivered the goods.
Sanya scored gold and some personal redemption with a triumph in the women's 400 meters and then anchored the women's 4×400 team to the sixth best time in history.
For more on Sanya's feats, check out this story from USAToday.com
I just received word that Team Nutrilite's Jenn Stuczynski has had to scratch from the World Championships in Berlin. Jenn has been fighting a nagging Achilles injury for most of the outdoor season - an injury that nearly kept her out of the U.S. Outdoor Championships in June.
Despite numerous treatments, rest, etc. Jenn regrettably has to shelve her quest for World gold. While a disappointment to Jenn and her camp in the now, this will allow her to mend and come back stronger than ever in her quest to be the world's best female pole vaulter.
Here is an official statement from Jenn herself:
"Despite my focused efforts for the last five weeks to get 100% healthy, I made the decision on Sunday that I just can’t be ready in time to compete in Berlin. The doctors who are treating me say that my Achilles injury is not serious, but it just has not improved enough for me to vault next weekend. I think I just ran out of time. I’m disappointed I won’t get the opportunity to join Team USA in Germany."
Heal up soon, Jenn!
In the meantime, be sure to watch for Sanya Richards in her quest for that elusive individual World Championship in the women's 400 meters.
The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics (Track & Field) are coming up soon. This year, the championships will be held in Berlin from August 15 – 23.
Team Nutrilite athletes Jenn Stuczynski (pole vault) and Sanya Richards (400m) will represent the USA and Nutrilite in attempts to be world champions.
Jenn vaults into action with the qualifying round on August 15 and the finals slated for August 17.
Sanya sprints into the championships with qualifying heats on the 15th, semi-finals on the 16th and finals on the 18th.
The conditions were a little less than ideal this past weekend at Hayward Field in Eugene, OR, but that didn't stop Team Nutrilite athletes Jenn Stuczynski and Sanya Richards from winning their respective events and making the U.S. National Team.
The U.S. National Outdoor Track & Field team will compete at the World Championships in Berlin from August 15 through August 23.
With the top time in the women's 400M, Sanya Richards headlines her team. Jenn bested a tough field and also headlines her team in the women's pole vault.
Here are some quotes from our winners this past weekend (credit to USATF.org):
Sanya Richards – Winner Women’s 400M
On her performance: “I don’t think this was one of my best races, just by looking at the time, but the wind has been tough at Hayward all week. I just wanted to run smart and make sure I brought it home to win. Now I’m ready to move on and focus on Berlin.”
On her goals this season: “I want to run fast. I haven’t run a 48 in two or three seasons, but my number one goal is still to win in Berlin.”
On what her experience has taught her: “I think I learned a lot from last season. I think sometimes I put a lot of pressure on myself at the big meets, and I just need to run relaxed.”
Jennifer Stuczynski – Winner Women’s Pole Vault
On winning the pole vault: “It was kind of a gutsy event. If it was Thursday, Friday or Saturday I would have pulled out. I have so many nagging injuries going on. Today I was able to compete. I am glad it worked out. Now it’s time to move on and get healthy.”
On the windy conditions: “It was just me being able to come down the runway. The wind had no play in it at all. Everything was clicking.”
Well, the Nutrilite sponsored track & field events may be done for the season, but there is still a lot of running and vaulting to be done, starting with the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships this weekend in Eugene, OR.
Both Sanya Richards (400M) and Jenn Stuczynski (Pole Vault) are heavily favored to win their respective championships this weekend.
The event will be televised Friday (8-10 pm on ESPN), Saturday (7:30 to 9:30 pm on ESPN), and Sunday (4 to 6 pm on NBC) and can also be viewed via streaming video.
Nutrilite once again had an outstanding presence at this past weekend's Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, OR. With signage all around the track, thirst-quenching Nutrilite Grape Sports Drink in the hands of athletes and attendees alike and the Nutrilite Mobile Brand Experience inside the gates, it was a perfect win-win-win.
In fact the athletes raved about the sports drink as "refreshing and great tasting and perfect because it wasn't too sweet." Better get your hands on this great product if you haven't tried it before. It's my personal favorite!
To top it off, Team Nutrilite star Sanya Richards posted the best women's 400M time in the world so far this year.
For a complete wrap up, check out the story on ESPN.com.
Check back soon for guest posts from Team Nutrilite athlete's Jenn Stuczynski and Sanya Richards…
Named after legendary distance runner Steve Prefontaine, the Prefontaine Classic is the premiere track and field meet in the United States. Athletes must be ranked in the Top 50 in the world in their events to be eligible to compete.
This is the third year of Nutrilite's sponsorship of the Pre Classic, and we have a tremendous presence planned.
For starters, 200 world No. 1 and Olympic bronze medalist Sanya Richards will be representing Nutrilite in the aptly named, Nutrilite Women's 400M race. Sanya will be rematched against Olympic silver medalist Shericka Williams and fellow Jamaican Novlene Williams. Sanya has had tremendous success at Hayward Field, going back to 2002.
In addition to titling the women's race, Nutrilite will have title presence in the Men's 300M race.
Leading the charge in the Nutrilite 300 Meters is Olympic 400 gold medalist LaShawn Merritt, ranked No. 1 in the world in 2008 by Track & Field News magazine. Winner of last year's Prefontaine Classic and Olympic Trials races, Merritt saved his fastest for Beijing, scorching a 43.75 lifetime best, making him the 5th fastest quarter miler in history. He also has the three fastest times thus far in 2009. Also in the race is Olympic bronze medalist David Neville, 300-Meter indoor world record holder Wallace Spearmon, the "X-Man", Xavier Carter, and Trinidad's Rennie Quow.
For those attending the event, Nutrilite will have the Mobile Brand Experience inside the track, where consumers can learn more about the brand and great products, as well as sample myriad Nutrilite products, including sports drink, energy bars, Rhodiola and Concentrated Fruits and Vegetables.
And be sure to catch Sanya at the Nutrilite Mobile Experience after her race, where she will greet fans and sign autographs. The first 50 in line get a t-shirt commemorating Nutrilite's sponsorship of this great meet.
For those who want to catch the action on TV, the meet will be televised live on NBC, from 11am to 1pm PDT, 2pm to 4pm EDT.
This past weekend marked the opening of the U.S. outdoor track and field season and it was a success for Nutrilite and our athletes.
Nutrilite had a tremendous presence in and around the facility as well as on television. The Nutrilite Mobile Experience offered up samples of energy bars, sports drinks and Concentrated Fruits and Vegetables, in addition to event t-shirts and the opportunity to meet and greet Jenn Stuczynski and Sanya Richards.
UniversalSports.com named Jenn as one of the "winners" from the weekend, with the following to say: "Although she was unable to continue her recent string of records set in Carson, Stuczynski appeared to be in fine form, winning the women's pole vault at 4.76m/15-71/4. On her winning vault, Stuczynski's hip height was way over the bar, prompting her to raise the next height to 4.96m/16-2. After switching to a stiffer pole, Stuczynski had two credible attempts at the height but missed on all three. Considering this is only the third time this season she has taken a full approach, she must be pleased."
Jenn easily captured the win with that vault of 4.76m. “It was a great feeling to compete and do well an event hosted by my sponsor,” said Stuczynski. “I was nervous heading into this week, but this win gives me a ton of confidence as I continue to compete.”
Sanya Richards took a solid second place in the 200 meter just behind one of the world's best 200 meter runner, Allyson Felix.
Next stop is Ichan Stadium in New York for the Reebok Grand Prix. Stay tuned for pre-meet posts and details.
The adidas Track Classic is just a few days away and your two Nutrilite superstars – Jenn Stuczynski and Sanya Richards – will be looking to win the women's pole vault and women's 200M respectively.
The week was kicked off by the "Fastest Five-Year Old in L.A." contest. The event pitted three heats of the fastest five year olds in the area against one another in a 60M race. The top three winners in each heat moved on to the finals, which will be staged between the men's and women's 100M event on Saturday. Maybe the next Asafa Powell will be found among these speedy youngsters!
As for the main event, it features some of the best athletes from across the globe. In its history, the adidas Track Classic has showcased track and field superstars from more than two dozen nations, including World Champions Tyson Gay, Jeremy Wariner, Allyson Felix, Meseret Defar and Veronica Campbell-Brown. And of course, don't forget Jenn and Sanya.
The adidas Track Classic is a tremendous showcase for the Nutrilite brand. Whether you attend the event or catch it on ESPN2 (8-10 EDT) this Saturday, our presence will be felt.
The Nutrilite mobile brand experience will be on hand to provide consumers insights into who we are and there will be sample opportunities throughout the stadium – Grape Sports Drinks, Energy Bars, Concentrated Fruits and Vegetables and more!
Be sure to tune in or score some tickets and take in the event in person. Tickets, from $40 (finish line) down to $10, are now available by calling Ticketmaster at 213-480-3232 or visiting www.Ticketmaster.com. For group sales, call 1-877-AEG-TICKETS. Visit the event website at www.adidasTrackClassic.com for updates and more information.
And here are a few more fastest 5-year-old pictures. They're too cute not to post!
