LOS ANGELES, California, January 30. SIX-time Olympic medalist Rebecca Soni today announced her retirement from professional swimming and the launch of her new lifestyle company and blog, The Atlas Ventures, aimed to encourage people of all ages to challenge themselves and explore opportunities outside of their comfort zone.
Since making her Olympic debut in Beijing in 2008, Soni has been an integral member of U.S. Swimming, winning three gold and three silver Olympic medals. She is the only back-to-back Olympic gold medalist in the women’s 200m breaststroke event after winning in both 2008 and 2012, and in her final Olympic Games in London, Soni became the first woman ever to break two minutes and 20 seconds in the 200m breaststroke event.
“Achieving my dream of going below two minutes and 20 seconds in the 200m breaststroke really put the storybook ending on my career,” said Soni. “I know I’ve conquered my goals in the pool, and now it’s time to conquer something else.”
Soni’s new endeavor, The Atlas Ventures, created alongside fellow World Champion Ariana Kukors, is a lifestyle company that aspires to give back, inspire healthy attitudes and encourage exploration. The Atlas Ventures will kick-off this spring as Soni and Kukors launch “Practice Crashers” and “crash” unsuspecting swim teams at practice. They will also lead Peak Performance Workshops to teach athletes from all sports tools that go beyond physical training. Soni and Kukors will practice the exploratory approach that they’ll preach by embarking on road trips to each workshop, sharing their experiences and tips for healthy living through The Atlas Ventures blog at www.theATLASventures.com.
“Before I move away from swimming too much, I want to take the time to give back,” said Soni. “The swimming community has become my family and I want to do my best to inspire the next generation and to share some of the things I’ve learned.”
For more information about The Atlas Ventures, please visit www.theATLASventures.com or follow their practice crashes on Facebook at www.facebook.com/practicecrashers and Twitter at @practicecrash.
“The entire family at Arena is pleased to congratulate Rebecca on an incredible career. As an athlete, she made an indelible mark on swimming history, and as an ambassador and role model, she has been poised, professional and effective,” said Tim McCool, Vice President and General Manager of Arena North America. “We will never forget her 2012 world record in the then-new red POWERSKIN Carbon-Pro, as that image remains an iconic picture of her success. As she enters the next chapter, we are pleased and honored that Rebecca will continue to be an Arena ambassador, and we look forward to working together.”
The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World. To reach our audience, contact us at newsmaster@swimmingworldmagazine.com.