Shade Global

Coca-Cola

  
In celebration of “One Year Out” from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Coca-Cola today announced its partnership with a diverse group of U.S. athletes who will be the face of the brand through the Games.

The “six pack” of athletes are made up of five Olympic champions and one Paralympic champion from swimming and soccer to track & field and gymnastics. The athletes will be featured prominently in the company’s marketing efforts leading up to the Games, including packaging, retail and digital advertising.

Coca-Cola identified these athletes that align with the Coca-Cola brand values and are positive role models with unique and inspiring stories. They are relatable and demonstrate hard work, dedication and commitment to excellence on and off the field of play. 

Soccer star Alex Morgan was on the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2015 winning team. She was also part of the 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Championship team, the gold medal-winning 2012 London Olympic Games team, and was named 2012 U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the year. She was also the finalist in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011 team. This is the second time Morgan is partnering with Coca-Cola as she was also a London 2012 Coca-Cola athlete. 

Nathan Adrian is a three-time Olympic gold medalist who joins the six-pack as the reigning “fastest man in the pool.” A two-time Olympian, he captured two gold and one silver medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games and won a gold medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. A Bremerton, Wash. native, Adrian was recently inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame.  

Ashton Eaton holds the world record in both the decathlon and indoor heptathlon events. He won gold in the decathlon at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Over the past two years, he was the 2014 World Indoor Champion in the heptathlon and the 2013 World Outdoor Champion in the decathlon. Eaton partnered with POWERADE in 2012.

Tatyana McFadden, a Paralympic track athlete, is no stranger to Atlanta. This year, she won the 2015 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race wheelchair division just months after winning the 2015 Boston and London Marathons. McFadden, in addition to competing in a summer Olympic sport, also excels in Paralympic Cross-Country Skiing. In fact, she was the 2014 Sochi Paralympic Silver medalist in the 1km sprint. Overall, she is an 11-time Paralympic medalist, 15-time world champion, 14-time marathon winner and two-time Grand Slam marathon winner.

Leo Manzano, one of the most popular Mexican-American Olympic track athletes, specializes in 1500m and won silver at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Recently, he won bronze at the 2015 USA Outdoor Championships. The five-time member of the USA World Championship team is also a nine-time NCAA Division 1 All-American.

Rounding out the Rio 2016 Coca-Cola six-pack is Nastia Liukin, an Olympic gymnastics legend and one of the most decorated gymnasts in U.S. history. At the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games she won five medals, including gold for All-Around. She is a four-time World Champion with a total of nine World Medals. Liukin is currently a senior at NYU and looking forward to graduating. In addition, Liukin will serve as an NBC analyst for on-air gymnastics coverage for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. 

This is the fifth time that Coca-Cola has featured athletes as a part of its Olympic marketing campaign. Specific plans for how the “six -pack” will be integrated into the larger Coca-Cola Rio 2016 Olympic Games program will be revealed in the future.