As the competition at the 2013 Reebok CrossFit Games heats up, Skins Compression announced its latest official partnership with decorated Olympian and leading CrossFit athlete, Anna Tunnicliffe. After beginning her athletic career in sailing, the two-time Olympic sailor has expanded her focus and after the first day of competition, is currently ranked fourth at the CrossFit Games.
Skins will provide her with the latest technology-driven compression garments to aid her during, as well as in recovering, from her intense training sessions as part of CrossFit competitions. Skins has long been a supporter of the CrossFit community and its athletes, the brand partners with numerous top CrossFit athletes and is dedicated to participating, giving back and helping these athlete's flourish.
“When the opportunity to work with Skins came around, I didn’t hesitate in taking it. I used their products when training for the CrossFit games and they helped me realize that there are no limits to my abilities.” said Anna Tunniclife, two-time Olympian and CrossFit athlete. “When I’m working towards a goal, whether it’s for sailing or CrossFit, I can’t afford to miss a day because my muscles are sore or tired. Skins not only provide support during my training sessions or a competition, but they also help speed my recovery so I can stay on schedule.”
To reach the level of success in CrossFit and similar sports like Tunnicliffe has, athletes are required to operate at peak intensity and push their bodies to the boundaries of performance. This type of extreme fitness needs the premium gear that Skins designs, which promotes optimum performance, injury prevention and active recovery. Skins products are specifically designed to compress muscle groups to trigger acceleration in blood flow. This results in increased oxygen to working muscles, maximizing performance while simultaneously reducing exercise-induced muscle damage, the key factor in speeding up recovery time. Skins clothing is unique in the market because its products are body mapped to compress certain muscles with varying degrees of pressure for superior fit and results.
“This partnership with Anna epitomizes everything that Skins as a brand stands for. Our mission is to help athletes perform at their very best and reach their top performance, whether that’s in serious competition or just competing with themselves to reach a goal,” said Johnny West, General Manager of Skins North America. “Anna's dedication to both her sports is truly in line with Skins’ ‘Go hard or go home’ mentality. We find Anna's energy and true spirit of competition completely infectious and are thrilled to have her on board as a global athlete, as her personality fits our brand DNA.”
Tunnicliffe was born in England, where she took up sailing as a young child on her parents’ boat. Moving to the United States when she was 12, she continued to grow within the sport and at age 14 she helmed for a team at the Rolex Women’s International Keelboat Regatta, which is the youngest helm on record at this event. She attended Old Dominion University in Norfollk, Va., and while there she earned four national titles and was named the 2005 ODU College Female Athlete of the Year. Following college she began training full time and made her way to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, where she won a gold medal in the Women’s Laser Radial class, bringing home the first U.S. women’s Olympic gold sailing medal in 20 years. In 2012, she made the Olympic team once again and she and her crew finished fifth in the women’s Elliot 6m race. Since the Olympics she has put all of her focus on CrossFit and is currently participating in CrossFit Games after placing second at the South East Regional.
