ROKA News

TAMPA, Fla./AUSTIN, Texas (May 31, 2018) — IRONMAN, a Wanda Sports Holdings company, announced today a multi-year global partnership that expands its relationship with ROKA, the Austin-based performance multisport brand. This new partnership makes ROKA the Official Global Wetsuit and Swim Partner of IRONMAN^® and the IRONMAN World Championship and IRONMAN 70.3^® World Championship events.

The partnership between IRONMAN and ROKA will further a relationship that began in 2014.  Besides an expanded physical presence at IRONMAN events across the globe, ROKA and IRONMAN are collaborating on IRONMAN World Championship swim products this October in honor of IRONMAN’s 40^th Anniversary. Additionally, ROKA will now sell co-branded swim products online via www.ironmanstore.com and roka.com, and will continue to give out the ROKA Fastest Swimmer Award to congratulate the fastest age group athlete during each event’s swim.

“We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with IRONMAN,” said ROKA CEO and Co-Founder Rob Canales. “IRONMAN is the best in the world at providing the ultimate endurance race experience, and ROKA is the best in the world at supporting those athletes with technical products that meet the demands of the day.  We’re excited to collaborate with IRONMAN on new products and services and to immediately bring our existing ones to more athletes around the world.”

In the last six years, ROKA has designed the world’s most advanced high-performance wetsuits, goggles, eyewear, swimskins and race apparel, which have been worn to numerous world titles and over 50 IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 wins by the world’s best triathletes, including Javier Gómez Noya, Lucy Charles, Tim Reed, Melissa Hauschildt, Luke McKenzie, Meredith Kessler, Linsey Corbin, Jesse Thomas and more.  With this new partnership, IRONMAN athletes will be able to sample ROKA’s groundbreaking technology before they buy at each IRONMAN event in the IRONMAN Village and have exclusive access to new products during the lead up to their races.

“I first tried ROKA’s Maverick wetsuit and Viper swimskin in 2014 and have been using both ever since, however the products have at times been difficult to find outside the U.S.” said Javier Gómez Noya, two-time IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion who splits time between Spain and New Zealand. “With this expanded partnership, IRONMAN athletes from around the globe can now get their hands on the cutting-edge technology that has been my secret weapon for the past four years.”

Just six years from its humble beginnings in a garage in Austin, ROKA has grown to become the wetsuit and swimwear choice of countless triathletes and hundreds of multisport teams around the world, and its Viper swimskin has been trusted by more athletes at the IRONMAN World Championships than any other brand for multiple years running.

“ROKA embodies the spirit of innovation and ingenuity that aligns well with the needs of our athletes,” said Matthieu Van Veen Chief Revenue Officer for IRONMAN. “We are eager to expand this partnership to cover all of our events globally and bring ROKA’s swimwear products to our athletes around the world.”

In 2018, ROKA will have a presence across the IRONMAN^® and IRONMAN 70.3^® Series, including 40 races in North America, 32 in Europe, and 13 in Oceania, as well as the IRONMAN World Championship and IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship. Each IRONMAN race consists of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run while the IRONMAN 70.3 race series events consist of a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run.

For more information on the IRONMAN brand and global event series, visit www.ironman.com.

Find out more about ROKA at roka.com.

About ROKA

ROKA started in a garage in Austin, Texas with humble beginnings and laser-beam focus. ROKA’s mission is to unlock human potential. To equip, empower, inspire and ignite. ROKA serves those who seek to redefine the standard, to push themselves to the limit – whatever and wherever that may be. 

Since its launch in 2013, ROKA athletes have won over a dozen world titles and have been instrumental in the design and development of an unprecedented collection of patented and award-winning products. In 2016, ROKA was proud to send 18 athletes to the Rio Olympics, taking home Gold and Bronze.  In PyeongChang, ROKA continued the tradition, taking home Olympic Gold and Bronze in their Advanced Performance eyewear. 2018 has seen elite athletes around the globe in running, cycling, triathlon, speed skating, beach volleyball, and off-road endurance events trusting ROKA eyewear for their most important performances on the biggest of stages.

ROKA products are available worldwide at www.roka.com and through select retailers. Visit us online to learn more about our growing lines of premium performance eyewear. Follow ROKA on social media at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About IRONMAN

A Wanda Sports Holdings company, IRONMAN operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN^®Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN^®70.3^® Triathlon Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock n’ Roll Marathon Series^®, Iron Girl^®, IRONKIDS^®, International Triathlon Union World Triathlon Series races, road cycling events including the UCI Velothon^® Series, mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic^®, premier marathons including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon, and other multisport races. IRONMAN’s events, together with all other Wanda Sports Holdings events, provide more than a million participants annually the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. The iconic IRONMAN^® Series of events is the largest participation sports platform in the world. Since the inception of the IRONMAN^® brand in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE^® by crossing finish lines at the world’s most challenging endurance races. Beginning as a single race, IRONMAN has grown to become a global sensation with more than 200 events across 50 countries. For more information, visit www.ironman.com. 

About Wanda Sports Holdings

Wanda Sports Holdings is the world’s leading sports business entity, founded to capture the opportunities in the global sports industry and to contribute to the prosperous international sports landscape – in three key areas: 1) Spectator Sports (media and marketing business), 2) Participation Sports (active lifestyle business), 3) Services (digital, production and service business). Wanda Sports Holding incorporates the international sports marketing company Infront Sports & Media, the iconic endurance brand IRONMAN, and Wanda Sports China. The headquarters are in Guangzhou, China.

DALLAS, Texas, April 26, 2017 – ROKA Sports, Inc. and British Triathlon announced a new partnership today, naming the Dallas-based performance multisport brand as the Official Swim Category Sponsor of British Triathlon. In an agreement that extends through 2020, the partnership grants ROKA exclusivity in numerous product categories including wetsuits, swim skins, swimwear, goggles, and swim gear (including kickboards, pull buoys, resistance aids, and more).

“We are thrilled to partner with British Triathlon,” said Rob Canales, co-founder and CEO of ROKA. “One of the driving principles of our company is to serve athletes through innovation, and we are excited to offer our latest collection of high-performance products to British Triathlon. It’s a tremendous honor to play a role in helping the world’s best athletes in their quest to perform to their full potential.”

Jack Buckner, CEO British Triathlon, added: “Our exciting partnership with ROKA is a fantastic opportunity to further support, inform and inspire triathletes to be the very best they can be. With the support of a company so dedicated to helping individuals exceed their limits, we can ensure British Triathlon Home Nation members have the best possible opportunity to achieve their own personal goals within the sport. We’re looking forward to what the next four years will bring with ROKA.”

Winning seven world titles in 2016, ROKA athletes achieved unmatched and unprecedented success, highlighted by Gwen Jorgensen’s win in Rio. ROKA Pro Vicky Holland shared the Rio podium with Jorgensen, finishing third to become the first British woman to win an Olympic medal in triathlon. ROKA athletes earned titles at the IRONMAN® 70.3 World Championship (Holly Lawrence and Tim Reed) and finished the season on top of the ITU World Triathlon Series Rankings (Mario Mola Diaz and Flora Duffy).

Along with the new partnership with British Triathlon, ROKA has enhanced its global fulfilment by partnering with Borderfree. The e-commerce provider simplifies international shopping by displaying prices in local currency, along with a final total, including duties, during checkout. Borderfree will process all transactions, and is trusted by numerous global brands to provide fast, reliable shipping. Customer service needs will continue to be addressed directly by ROKA.

Visit www.roka.com to learn more about the company’s growing lines of premium performance eyewear, apparel and equipment. Follow ROKA on social media at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About ROKA

ROKA is a performance design company dedicated to helping athletes unlock their potential through the relentless pursuit of creating the most innovative, premium products available.

Founded in 2013 by two former Stanford All-American swimmers, ROKA has experienced tremendous growth and continues to expand into new product categories. In addition to being the Official Uniform and Swim Partner of USA Triathlon, ROKA is the Official Swim Partner of the IRONMAN® U.S. Series, the IRONMAN 70.3 Race Series, and the IRONMAN World Championship.

For more information, visit www.roka.com.

About British Triathlon

British Triathlon works to promote excellence in the sport of triathlon and create opportunities for everyone to achieve their personal triathlon goals. With a vision to inspire participation, British Triathlon enjoyed world-class success in 2016, winning three of six medals at the Olympic Games in Rio.

British Triathlon’s members include the Home Nation's Associations of Triathlon England, Triathlon Scotland and WelshTriathlon. British Triathlon is responsible for managing the Great Britain Elite, Paratriathlon and Age-Group teams. British Triathlon also manages a number of services that are shared with the three Home Nations. Visit www.britishtriathlon.org to learn more.

ROKA Sports, Inc. and USA Triathlon today announced a new multi-year partnership that designates the Dallas-based performance multisport brand as the Exclusive USA Triathlon Uniform and Swim Category Partner. This agreement makes ROKA’s patented, cutting-edge technologies available to the entire USA Triathlon community — including Team USA, the top amateur athletes who qualify to represent the U.S. at the International Triathlon Union (ITU) Age Group World Championships. It also underscores the company’s commitment to working with the world’s greatest athletes and unlocking their potential.

“ROKA is incredibly honored and excited to partner with USA Triathlon,” said Rob Canales, Co-Founder and CEO of ROKA. “We’ve been humbled and proud to work with U.S. Olympians Gwen Jorgensen, Katie Zaferes, Joe Maloy, Greg Billington and other American elite athletes over the last quadrennial, and look forward to supporting the broader USA Triathlon community in the years ahead. Our team’s dedication to serving these athletes through performance design and innovative products has paid off over the last four years, and we are ready for the next chapter. This partnership is an inspiration and motivator for everyone in the company; we can’t wait to get to work.”

“These are the core endemic categories for our organization, and USA Triathlon is proud to align with ROKA through this new partnership,” said Chuck Menke, USA Triathlon Chief Marketing Officer. “ROKA has quickly built a very strong brand reputation to go along with its growing market share. We are confident that our age-group and elite athletes alike will benefit greatly from their advanced technologies and product lines, as well as their superior customer service.”

In an agreement that extends through 2020, ROKA will be designated as the Exclusive Uniform Partner of the U.S. National Team, USA Paratriathlon National Team, and Team USA. This is in addition to the designation of Exclusive Triathlon Performance Apparel Partner of USA Triathlon. Other exclusive category titles defined by the agreement include Swimwear, Wetsuit, and Swimskin of USA Triathlon. ROKA has also been granted the status of Exclusive Swim Gear Partner and Exclusive Goggle Supplier of USA Triathlon.

Winning seven world titles, ROKA athletes delivered performances in 2016 that were unmatched and unprecedented. The year was highlighted by Gwen Jorgensen’s win in Rio, a victory that made her the first American triathlete to take home Olympic gold.

“I’ve been part of the ROKA family for years,” said Olympic gold medalist and two-time ITU WTS World Champion Gwen Jorgensen. “It really is a family, and everybody shares the excitement of races. Triathlon isn’t just a sport you pursue. It’s part of you. That’s why ROKA works hard on making a real difference. With this partnership, it’s going to make a difference in the lives of a lot more athletes.”

ROKA Co-Founder Kurt Spenser added, “We will develop and deploy the full weight of our R&D with this partnership. The team looks forward to once again redefining the performance standard across all categories and sharing the benefit of those developments with the entire USA Triathlon community.”

About ROKA

ROKA is a performance design company dedicated to helping athletes unlock their potential. Like the athletes it serves, ROKA believes reaching one’s best is not a destination but a repeated first step on the journey to greatness. The company continually strives to provide the most innovative, premium products available for those who demand the best. ROKA holds multiple international patents for its swim apparel and equipment, and has numerous others pending.

ROKA was founded by two former Stanford All-American swimmers who, after being frustrated by the offerings on the market, set out to make the fastest wetsuits on the planet. After launching in 2013, ROKA has seen tremendous growth and its products are now relied on by numerous world-class athletes including ITU World Champions, IRONMAN® Champions and Olympic medalists. In addition to working with USA Triathlon, ROKA is the Official Swim Partner of the IRONMAN U.S. Series, the IRONMAN 70.3 Race Series, and the IRONMAN World Championship.

Today, ROKA continues to make a difference for athletes who share its passion for excellence, and the company is building on its reputation for quality, performance and unsurpassed customer experience as it expands into new product categories.

About USA Triathlon

USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon, as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon and paratriathlon in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 4,300 races and connects with nearly 500,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work with athletes, coaches and race directors on the grassroots level, USA Triathlon provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of the ITU and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). Visit usatriathlon.org to learn more.

Flora Duffy and Mario Mola Reach Top of Podium in Thrilling Competitions

DALLAS, Texas, September 27, 2016 – ROKA Sports, Inc. a Dallas-based performance multisport brand, today congratulated two of its professional triathletes, Flora Duffy and Mario Mola, on their historic victories at the International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Triathlon Series (WTS) Grand Final in Cozumel, Mexico.

Comprised of eight rounds of competition around the globe and culminating in the Grand Final, the WTS is the International Triathlon Union’s annual series of triathlon events used to crown a world champion each year. Competing head-to-head in these races, athletes amass point totals, and the highest total for the series determines the overall ITU World Champion.

Duffy took home the Grand Final race with a dramatic solo effort on the bike and run.  She also added wins at ITU Stockholm, and the Montreal World Cup. She had a consistently excellent year, finishing second at ITU World Triathlon Leeds and third at ITU World Triathlon Cape Town.

Duffy commented, “It has been an amazing journey this season.”

Mola’s first world title was the result of a season filled with dramatic victories and incredible closing speed on the run. He took the win at four ITU World Triathlon events: Abu Dhabi, Gold Coast, Yokohama, and Hamburg. He also won the 2016 Mooloolaba ITU Triathlon World Cup and was second at ITU World Triathlon Edmonton.

Mola said, “It’s been an all-around great year, and I’m very happy to end the series with the overall title. A lot of work has been done in preparation for this goal, but also I had a lot of fun preparing for it with my training partners. I can’t wait for another season to start!”

Leading after the 1.5km swim in the Grand Final event, Duffy was able to extend her lead on the 40km bike segment, and finish with a time of 1:57:59. In both the final event and overall standings, she edged out ROKA’s Gwen Jorgensen, an Olympic Gold Medalist and the ITU WTS World Champion of 2014 and 2015. Duffy’s 4691 total points surpassed the 4435 earned by Jorgensen, who finished second in the world.

After second-place finishes in the 2014 and 2015 ITU WTS to countryman and ROKA athlete Javier Gomez, Mario Mola won his first world title in dramatic fashion. Mola’s time of 1:47:36 led to a winning point total of 4819, four points ahead of Jonny Brownlee who was suffering from heat exhaustion in the final meters of the race.

Both 2016 champions commented on ROKA’s renowned performance wetsuits. Duffy said, “My favorite piece of ROKA gear is my Maverick X wetsuit. I seriously feel invincible when I put that suit on. So comfortable, and so fast in the water. We had many wetsuit swims this year, and I always came out of the water [in the] top three wearing the suit.” Mola added, “ROKA's Maverick wetsuit is my winning choice. The feeling with it is unbeatable.”

Rob Canales, Co-Founder and CEO of ROKA said, “It’s an amazing thrill to watch members of the ROKA family achieve world titles. Seeing Flora and Mario working so hard during the year inspires us, and we all respect the responsibility of making the most of their equipment.”

Canales added, “Having ROKA athletes win both the Elite Men’s and Elite Women’s categories is wild — even more because two other members of our family, Gwen Jorgensen and Javier Gómez Noya, took home the titles last year. Our team is so proud to be represented by this incredible group of athletes and the extreme limits they push each other to.”

Classic Style Meets Technical Innovation that Delivers the Ultimate in Performance

DALLAS, Texas, August 30, 2016 – ROKA Sports, Inc. a Dallas-based performance multisport brand, has announced the upcoming release of its first collection of premium performance eyewear. Rendered in a range of frame hues and lens color options, the three premiere designs showcase a heritage of classic optical style, while packing under-the-hood technical innovations that deliver the ultimate in performance and comfort.

Rob Canales, Co-Founder and CEO of ROKA said, “We created a bold new category of eyewear that proves performance optics don’t always have to take styling cues from science fiction. This is true performance, concealed by vintage style that takes you anywhere. Athletes can finally get the look they want, and still have all the technology they need to push themselves to the limit with zero compromise.”

Combining unmatched performance with uncompromising style, the three debut designs — the Phantom, Kona, and Vendée — are a showcase of technology. Their patent-pending nose and temple GEKO Pads were inspired by biomimicry of gecko foot geometry. Crafted with a proprietary elastomer, the pads provide a no-bounce, ultra-secure fit that maintains retention even during the sweatiest, most strenuous activity. Lenses from Carl Zeiss Vision deliver razor-sharp optical performance, as well as remarkable shatter resistance. Even with the ultra-light weight of titanium and other leading materials, the frames maintain rock-solid durability. With precisely balanced weight distribution and the luxurious feel of GEKO Pad technology, they offer a “forget you’re wearing them” experience.

ROKA plans to stagger the release dates for the three designs. The Phantom will become available during the week of August 29. The releases of Kona and Vendée are currently slated for mid-September.

ROKA’s first pro athlete, Jesse Thomas, inspired the Phantom. He won his breakthrough triathlon in gas station aviators, and made a name for himself racing in that classic style. However, he had to settle for underperforming sunglasses with poor optics that fell off his face and could not be worn comfortably for extended periods. Inspired by Thomas’s demand for a solution that would provide market-beating performance, ROKA accepted the challenge to build the ultimate performance aviator. After more than a year of intense R&D with some of the world’s most advanced factories and material suppliers, the Phantom was born.

Thomas recalled his victory in the grueling IRONMAN® Lanzarote in Spain, a race in which he ran a blistering 2:46 marathon while wearing the Phantom for the first time: “They were the ultimate upgrade, crazy lightweight and super comfortable. They never bounced or slipped, despite buckets of sweat. I was 100% focused on my race, not my equipment. Plus, I thought they looked badass.”

The second design in ROKA’s debut collection, the Kona was inspired by the ultimate endurance test in triathlon on Hawaii’s big island, an annual proving ground for the latest in performance technology. The performance sunglass has a modern, square lens that echoes iconic American style of the ’50s and ’60s. To combat fogging, the frame is engineered for channeled airflow with architecture that is reinforced with carbon fiber for torsional rigidity and strength.

The Vendée is the third debut design. It is shaped with iconic styling and named after the launch point for the grueling, round-the-world, single-handed yacht race that attracts the most daring and accomplished yachtsmen. Like the Kona, the Vendée features channeled airflow, hidden spring hinges that contribute shock absorption and optimal fit for any head size or shape, and the comfort of a lightweight yet durable nylon frame.

All designs in the collection feature premium lenses by Carl Zeiss Vision, and they exceed ANSI Z87.1 standards for optical performance and impact resistance. Polarized editions block 99% of reflected glare, and all lenses filter out 100% of all harmful UV.

The lenses are enhanced with a superior hard coating for abrasion resistance, a hydrophobic/oleophobic coating that reduces fog buildup and resists smudging, and an AR coating that mitigates distracting reflections and glare.

Canales added, “ROKA’s mission is to unlock human potential — to equip, empower, inspire, and ignite. When we see an opportunity to innovate, to challenge the status quo, to disrupt a complacent or monopolistic market, we go all in. These debut eyewear designs are a glimpse of what’s to come.”

Medal Contenders Use ROKA Products in Training and Competition

DALLAS, Texas, July 26, 2016 – ROKA Sports, Inc. today announced it is sending 18 athletes to compete at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Representing eight countries from around the globe, the athletes will rely on the company’s performance apparel and gear as they vie for medals in the triathlon competition.

Rob Canales, Co-Founder and CEO of ROKA said, “It is an honor to have world-class athletes put their faith in ROKA innovation for the most important competition of their lives. These Olympians and Paralympians demand the most from themselves, and from the gear they depend on during training and competition. ROKA was founded by athletes, and we rise to that challenge with pride. The 2016 medal contenders have inspired us to raise the bar and redefine the limits of performance, and we share their dedication and passion for excellence.”

ROKA athletes at the Olympics will include Gwen Jorgensen, Katie Zaferes, Joe Maloy and Gregory Billington for Team USA; Carolina Routier, Mario Mola Diaz for Team ESPAÑA; Kirsten Sweetland for the Canadian Olympic Team; Nicky Samuels and Andrea Hewitt for the New Zealand Team; Flora Duffy for the Bermuda Team; Emma Moffatt and Ashleigh Gentle for the Australia Team; Vicky Holland for the UK Team; and Vendula Frintová for the Czech Team. ROKA athletes on the USA Paralympic Team include Chris Hammer, Krige Schabort and Grace Norman.

ROKA’s roster includes highly accomplished athletes. Gwen Jorgensen earned the title of ITU World Triathlon Series Champion in 2014 and 2015. Mario Mola Diaz currently holds the men’s #1 ranking in the ITU World Triathlon Series, and Flora Duffy is ranked #1 in the women’s category.

Athletes in the triathlon event will compete on a spectacular course, including an epic beach swim at Copacabana. An estimated 500 thousand fans are expected to watch the event, and it will be one of the most-watched live events at the 2016 Games. A challenging hill course is planned for the bike segment, and the medal hopefuls will compete on a phenomenal run course. ROKA’s Gwen Jorgensen and Javier Gómez Noya won the test triathlon event last year.

ROKA athletes will utilize the patented RAPIDSIGHT® technology in the company’s R1 swim goggle, a design that takes advantage of innovative engineering, optics and architecture. Two more of the company’s proven goggle designs, F1 and F2, will be utilized as well. Optimized for performance, ROKA triathlon apparel will be worn in competition, and athletes will wear the company’s renowned performance wetsuits if conditions are cold. The full line of ROKA swimwear and equipment has been utilized during training.

Breakthrough Design Liberates Swimmers from Restriction to Offer the Ultimate in Freedom of Movement and Speed

DALLAS, Texas, June 7, 2016 – ROKA Sports, Inc. today announced the release of the Maverick X wetsuit, a breakthrough in performance technology that represents both an evolution in innovation and a revolution in design. ROKA set out to create the freest, fastest wetsuit ever built, and the company achieved a new milestone that liberates swimmers from restriction like no other wetsuit.

Rob Canales, Co-Founder and CEO of ROKA said, “We have engineered a new wetsuit design with technologies that translate to faster swimming with better mechanics, less effort and no shoulder strain. With more than three decades of elite swimming experience, the ROKA development team has an obsession with flexibility. It led to a unique patent-pending innovation called Revolution X that allows the Maverick X wetsuit to offer unrivaled mobility by virtually eliminating restriction.”

A key breakthrough came in defying the conventional design paradigm of setting the upper limbs in the arms-down position, an approach to patternmaking that restricts movement during the critical “catch phase” of the freestyle swim stroke. ROKA developed the Maverick X by starting with the arms up, and continued prototyping to pinpoint a golden ratio in the interplay between arm position and patterning.

Seven-time triathlon World Champion Javier Gómez Noya told ROKA, “It was hard to believe you could improve the ‘old’ Maverick but you did. The arms-up pattern is a revolution in wetsuits and finally gives the shoulder the freedom that swimmers want.”

With RSX Body Positioning Technology, the Maverick X utilizes smart buoyancy to put the swimmer in the fastest body position possible. Engineered zones optimize swim mechanics and power generation, enhancing buoyancy where human physiology needs it most, and reducing buoyancy where it gets in the way of speed.

Every panel is strategically designed to improve overall performance and help athletes swim faster with less effort. A proprietary liner grid is engineered with eight strategic neoprene/liner combinations, and each is purpose-built for compression, flexibility, form enhancement, thermodynamics, core connection, and transition.

In addition to unrestrained shoulder mobility and the benefits of tuned buoyancy, the Maverick X features additional advances in design, construction and materials. Its Revolution X pattern takes advantage of new independent neck paneling and suspension for better comfort, fit and seal. To help swimmers maintain speed and proper mechanics as they fatigue, the new wetsuit offers enhanced power transfer and core connection without restricting breathing. The forearms are crafted with an Italian stretch-woven textile that minimizes the boundary between the arm and water to maximize proprioception, speed and hydrodynamics. The Maverick X is made with premium Yamamoto neoprene, a durable nano-coated material that makes the wetsuit ultra-fast in water.

Canales continued, “No wetsuit in history enhanced swimming performance like the Maverick Pro, and the new Maverick X takes ROKA innovations in mobility, speed, fit and comfort to a new level. We are proud to offer this breakthrough wetsuit design to those who share our passion for performance and the uncompromising standards of excellence that drive athletes to achieve their best and beyond.”

Eliminating the middlemen, ROKA is able to reduce margins and make its premium wetsuits available to athletes at a significantly reduced cost. This direct-to- consumer focus also helps ROKA better control the quality of its products, as well as the quality of its relationships with customers. The new Maverick X wetsuit is available at the company’s website.

ROKA Sports, Inc. today announced it has received the prestigious Red Dot Award: Product Design for its R1 goggle, a new swim design that combines innovative engineering, optics and architecture with the advantages of ROKA’s patent-pending RAPIDSIGHT™ technology. The goggle proved its excellence in the most prestigious international competition for product design, which this year included a record 5,214 products from 57 nations.

Comparing R1 to the current standards for performance swim goggles, the jury recognized ROKA’s breakthroughs in achieving major improvements. ROKA began the process by redesigning existing optics and literally turning eyewear design on its head, and rethinking the plane of movement for the specific application of swimming. An innovative design and manufacturing process greatly reduced the architecture along the top frame, and ROKA further optimized the goggle with a precise retroscopic lens angle. The result is RAPIDSIGHT, a technology that radically expands athletes’ forward field of vision while in the head-down swimming position, so targets can be sighted with less disruption to swim form and mechanics.

Rob Canales, Co-Founder and CEO of ROKA said, “ROKA has been on a mission for two years to rethink goggle design and optimize the mechanics of sighting to improve speed and reduce energy expenditure. RAPIDSIGHT technology addresses those critical issues and delivers a distinct competitive advantage. Offering an expanded field of view, it helps lead swimmers sight buoys faster and with less effort, and it allows followers to stay ‘on the feet’ of leading swimmers more easily.”

Benefits of the innovative product go beyond RAPIDSIGHT technology. Unlike conventional swim goggles with excess bulk that sacrifices hydrodynamics for comfort and field of view, the ROKA R1 utilizes a smaller form factor that maintains comfort while minimizing drag. For the optics, a crystal-clear view is made possible by a premium grade polycarbonate that represents the benchmark of performance clarity in the goggle industry. The R1 also features SPCTRM™, a purpose-built lens tint collection optimized for environmental and light conditions.

Professor Dr. Peter Zec, founder and president of the Red Dot Award said, “The Red Dot winners not only demonstrated extraordinary design quality — they showed that design is an integral part of innovative product solutions.”

Canales added, “Our foundation is built on innovation and the passion that drives performance. The R1 is a shining example of our commitment to those things. ROKA’s mission is to inspire confidence in athletes as they strive to reach their full potential. That level of confidence requires products that redefine the performance standard, and because we’re athletes ourselves, it’s a challenge we’re proud to tackle. The R1 continues the heritage we’re building every day.”

About the Red Dot Design Award

In order to appraise the wide scope of design in a professional manner, the Red Dot Design Award is broken down into the three distinct disciplines: the Red Dot Award: Product Design, Red Dot Award: Communication Design and Red Dot Award: Design Concept. The Red Dot Award is organised by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Essen, Germany. With more than 17,000 entries in 2015 alone, it is one of the largest competitions in the world. It was in 1955 that a jury convened for the first time to assess the best designs of the day. The name and brand of the award were developed in the 1990s by Red Dot CEO, Professor Dr. Peter Zec. Since then the sought-after “Red Dot” is the revered international seal of outstanding design quality. Further information: www.red-dot.org.

Maverick Pro Wetsuit Recognized for Excellence

ROKA Sports, Inc. is proud to announce that its Maverick Pro wetsuit was selected as the winner in the Performance Water Apparel category of the 2016 ISPO AWARDS. An accredited seal of quality identifying the best sporting goods for the coming season, ISPO AWARDS are granted yearly to salute the industry’s most exceptional products. Independent juries of industry experts from ten countries met this month to evaluate all entries in terms of innovation, design and function, and ROKA’s performance wetsuit was honored among the finest sporting goods for 2016/2017.

Rob Canales, co-founder and CEO of ROKA said, “We are deeply honored to have the Maverick Pro recognized by the ISPO AWARDS. The pride is shared by the whole family here at ROKA, and the award validates all the hard work we put toward building performance from the ground up.”

Available for men and women, the ROKA Maverick Pro wetsuit is engineered with smart, area-specific buoyancy to enhance the fastest body position possible. It leverages physics, the world’s fastest materials and 30+ years of elite swimming experience to optimize speed, fit and comfort. ROKA’s patent-pending design is the choice of reigning triathlon world champions Javier Gómez and Gwen Jorgensen as well as numerous IRONMAN® champions and top athletes worldwide.

Canales added, “We set the lofty goal of making the fastest wetsuits on the planet, and then came years of intense R&D and endless testing by athletes of all abilities. It took so much because we decided in the beginning that nothing but a true game changer would be good enough, and that no-compromise attitude really set the foundation for our approach to product design. Athletes demand the best from themselves, and as a company founded by athletes, we respect their dedication by always striving to give them the best. Being validated by the ISPO AWARD will inspire us as we continue to take the same approach with a growing range of performance products.”

Visit www.rokasports.com to learn more about the company’s expanding lines of premium performance apparel and equipment. Follow ROKA on social media at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About ROKA Sports, Inc.

ROKA is a premium multisport brand dedicated to empowering athletes with the performance technologies they need to realize and redefine their potential. Like the athletes it serves, ROKA believes reaching one’s best is not a destination but the first step on the next journey of greatness, and the company continually strives to achieve the most innovative, premium products available for those who demand the best.

ROKA was founded by two former Stanford All-American swimmers who, after being frustrated by the offerings on the market, set out to make the fastest wetsuits on the planet. After launching in 2013, ROKA has seen tremendous growth, and its products are now relied upon by numerous world-class athletes including ITU World Champions, IRONMAN® Champions and Olympic medalists. Today, ROKA continues to make a difference for athletes who share its passion for excellence, and the company is building on its reputation for quality, performance and unsurpassed customer experience as it expands into new product categories. For more information, visit www.rokasports.com.

About ISPO

Under its ISPO brand Messe München International offers events and year-round services to the international sports business. The goal of the full-service provider is to offer its customers added value for successful positioning within the international competition. The provided services help customers increase their profitability as well as strengthen personal contacts and business relationships. The services currently include ISPO ACADEMY, ISPO AWARD, ISPO COMMUNITY, ISPO TEXTRENDS, ISPO BRANDNEW, ISPO CARD, ISPO JOBS and ISPO NEWS. As globally successful sports business platforms and multi-segment trade shows ISPO MUNICH, ISPO BEIJING and ISPO SHANGHAI offer a comprehensive overview of their respective markets.

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