(APR 21) COLORADO SPRINGS,
COLO. (April 19, 2016) - Two of USA Boxing's most accomplished
athletes are being featured in POWERADE's inspirational "Just a
Kid" campaign as they head in to the 2016 Olympic Games. 2012
Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields (Flint, Mich.) and Junior
and Youth World Champion and Youth Olympic Games gold medalist
Shakur Stevenson (Newark, N.J.) are both being highlighted for
their amazing accomplishments as such a young age.
With the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
drawing closer, POWERADE® is partnering with three U.S. athletes
whose personal stories reflect the brand's "Just a Kid"
campaign, which aims to inspire by taking a passionate stand for
the potential in every young athlete. POWERADE's roster will
include Claressa Shields (women's boxing), Lopez Lomong (men's
track & field, 1500m) and Shakur Stevenson (men's boxing). Each
athlete has overcome incredible barriers and obstacles in their
life, but through hard work and determination, all have a chance
to become one of the best competitors in their respective sport
- and a chance at Olympic glory.
"A large part of what makes the
Olympic Games so inspirational are the athletes who flourish on
the world's stage after rising up from a challenging living
environment," said Shannon Watkins, group brand director,
POWERADE. Sue Kim, senior IMC manager, POWERADE, added, "In
keeping with our 'Just a Kid' campaign, we chose these three
athletes because each of their stories prove how far you can
climb by showing dedication and powering through adversity."
Both Shields and Stevenson proudly represent the hometowns that
helped build them in to the powerhouse athletes that they are
today. Shields is the first American woman to win a gold medal
in boxing and can become the first American boxer, male or
female, to win back-to-back Olympic titles with a second gold
medal this summer. Since making history in 2012, she has added
World Championship and Pan American titles in dominant fashion.
With only one loss in her boxing career, Shields enters the 2016
Olympic Games as the strong favorite to defend her Olympic gold
medal in the middleweight division.
One of the most decorated junior and youth athletes in USA
Boxing's history, Stevenson made a seamless transition to the
elite division with a gold medal victory and Outstanding Boxer
award at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Men's Boxing. The
18-year-old boasts a perfect international record and added a
gold medal at the Americas Olympic Qualifier and two World
Series of Boxing wins in his elite division bouts in 2016.
Despite his young age, Stevenson enters the 2016 Olympic Games
as one of the boxers to watch in his bantamweight division.
Both Shields and Stevenson qualified their 2016 Olympic berths
with gold medal performances at the Americas Olympic Qualifier
in March in Buenos Aires, Argentina. They both currently live
and train at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs,
Colo., in preparation for the 2016 Olympic Games.
This summer, a 30-second television commercial featuring
Stevenson will air in the coverage of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
on the networks of NBCUniversal. The return of "Just a Kid" will
also come to life through POWERADE's online marketplace,
out-of-home, digital, social, PR and point-of-sale. In addition,
digital spots of each athlete will go live this month, and will
dramatically tell the story of the adversity each faced early in
their athletic career. The "Just a Kid" Olympic campaign was
developed in partnership with advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy
in Portland, Ore.
From June to August, POWERADE's online marketplace (www.justakidfrom.com)
will be producing limited-edition "Just a Kid" Olympic t-shirts,
featuring a "Just a Kid from the USA" design in gold foil. A
portion of proceeds from the limited-edition Olympic apparel
will be donated to the USOC fund to support current and future
Olympians. Beginning in July, limited-edition Olympic packaging
can be found on one of POWERADE's newest varieties, Watermelon
Strawberry Wave™.
Shakur Stevenson's video (Undisputed): https://youtu.be/12JsOgup-FQ
Claressa Shields' video (Girl's Place): https://youtu.be/ikmKzt13yLI
For the full release about the "Just a Kid" campaign and athlete
artwork, click here.
For more information, please visit www.justakidfrom.com and
follow POWERADE (@powerade) on Instagram and Twitter.