Pro swimmer Ian Finnerty is now backed by swimsuit brand Tyr Sport Inc., capping a busy year of sponsorship deals for the line in 2019.
The Seal Beach-based company said it added Finnerty, an American record holder in the 50-meter breaststroke at the ISL American Derby and gold medalist in the 100-meter breaststroke at this year’s World University Games.
Finnerty joins a roster of Tyr athletes that include Olympic medalists Ryan Lochte, Katie Ledecky, Simone Manuel and others.
The company, started in 1985, has built its brand around technical fabrications and performance wear and equipment for swimmers and triathletes, padding its roster of sponsored swimmers in the run-up to the Olympics this year in Tokyo, playing up its latest swimsuit, dubbed the Venzo.
CEO Matt DiLorenzo said at the time of the suit’s launch in fall 2018 that it was “critical” for Tyr to “work with [athletes] on what they need leading into Tokyo.”
The high-tech suit was created with the help of feedback from Olympic swimmers and promises less friction and more abdominal support among other attributes.
The Finnerty deal is one of several new or re-signed sponsorships in 2019 for the performance swim brand, including July’s reveal that it signed Olympic medalist and American record holder Lilly King.
It also re-signed Cody Miller, another Olympic medalist and U.S. record holder, in March and six-time Olympic medalist and long-time Tyr athlete Matt Grevers in May.
