After several splashy signings in their home-country of Japan last week, sportswear brand Mizuno has made their first step into the American swimming market with a sponsorship deal of American National Team swimmer, and World Championship medalist, Eugene Godsoe.
The company with annual revenue pushing $1.5 billion adds Godsoe to a list of swimmers that include 200 breaststroke World Record holder Akihiro Yamaguchi and Japan’s biggest current swimming star Kosuke Hagino.
While Godsoe is the company’s first American swimmer, he is far from their first American sponsored athlete. The company previously sponsored 9-time track & field gold medalist Carl Lewis and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana during their careers: both of whom are part of a very short conversation for the greatest ever in their respective sports.
“I’ve been searching for a brand in swimming that shares my values, passion, and vision for the sport,” Godsoe said of his new agreement. “Mizuno does just that. I have great confidence in what I have yet to achieve, and Mizuno believes in me as well. I’m very excited to wear their technology and see what we can accomplish.”
Godsoe commemorated the event with the release of another cover song video for which he has become so well-known within the swimming community, and he’s wearing a Mizuno t-shirt in the video. This song is all instrumental, just Eugene on his piano, and in a deviance from his standard fare, is actually a Godsoe original. It’s titled “Within.”
Beautiful song! Very cool! So glad Mizuno and Eugene can help each other. US needs to know how good both of them are:) Well done!