Speedo just announced the newest member of their team, American swimming sensation Arabella “Bella” Gabrielle Sims. This exciting collaboration between Speedo and Sims brings together one of the most iconic swim brands with a rising star in competitive swimming in an exciting lead up to Paris 2024.
Already an Olympic Medalist and World Champion, Sims was one of just four high school athletes to make the 2020 U.S. Olympic team, winning a Silver medal in the 4×200 Free Relay at age 16. She has won multiple World Championship titles since then, as a member of the Gold-Winning 4×200 Free Relay team at Budapest’s 2022 World Aquatics Championships, and also winning silver in Fukuoka at the 2023 Championships in the 4×100 Mixed Freestyle Relay and Women’s 4×200 Freestyle.
Sims will now be representing Speedo in the brand’s cutting-edge swimwear and accessories in her upcoming competitions. She will be racing in the latest evolution of Speedo’s pioneering Fastskin® LZR® Valor 2.0 swimsuit developed by Speedo’s Aqualab® research and development facility, and engineered from Lamoral® Space Tech.
Born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, 18-year-old Sims is currently a freshman and member of the 2023-2024 University of Florida Women’s Swim Team. Her commitment to excellence has inspired her teammates and is sure to capture the attention of fans worldwide as she embarks on collegiate and international competition… and hopefully at this summer’s Olympic games!
I had a chance to chat with Bella this week on Zoom about becoming a part of the Speedo family, upcoming events, and her aspirations for Paris 2024.
STYLE OF SPORT: Hi Bella! What a treat to meet you. What does becoming part of Team Speedo mean to you?
BELLA SIMS: It means the world. Speedo has always been the brand that everyone loves to wear, loves to see, all the fast people wear it. Being a part of this family is awesome. Speedo gives off the most amazing vibes and I’m so happy to be a part of the team.
SOS: Tell me a little bit about the new Speedo LZR® Valor 2.0 Fastskin® LZR®. What does it feel like to swim in one of these race suits as compared to a regular swimsuit.
BS: Swimming with this tech suit, you feel so fast, like you’re on top of the water floating. You feel like you don’t even have to put that much effort. I mean it’s not like a motor, but it kind of feels like it.
SOS: You’re a freshman at University of Florida, talk to me a little bit about what a day in the life is like for a student athlete like yourself.
BELLA AND UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA TEAMMATES
BS: All my days of the week are a little different. This semester I only have class Monday and Tuesday. But on Monday for example, I wake up at 5am for practice at 6am. After practice I go to the dining hall and get breakfast. Then from 9:35am-12:35pm I have a journalism class. Then lunch. Then I have weights and then swim practice and then eat dinner.
SOS: That’s quite a day. Swim practice after weights? So you’re training how many hours a day?
BS: About 5 hours
SOS: Average yardage per practice?
BS: 6000 to 8000 yards, but that varies. Right now I’m training for the SEC Championships. Then the NCAA championships are in March.
SOS: And then there are the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in June. You made the 2020 team and swam in the 4×200 Freestyle Relay. What are you hoping to swim in Paris?
BS: The same relay, and the 200 and 400 individual freestyle.
SOS: There’s a great picture of you on your Instagram with Katie Ledecky and your teammates at the 2023 Fukuoka World Championships. She’s one of the greatest swimmers of all times. Talk to me about some of your idols in the sport, swimmers who have been your role models, and are now your teammates. What’s that like?
BS: It’s so cool that I get to call them my friends now. Katie Ledecky has always been one of those people I looked up to, especially as a young swimmer, and her going to the Olympics at such a young age. Now I train with her and she’s so awesome. She beats the boys pretty much every practice which is just astonishing. She definitely pushes me and I’m grateful to have her as a teammate.
SOS: It must be amazing! Congratulations on all your success thus far and good luck in Olympic Trials and hopefully Paris! I have a feeling we’ll be seeing you there and can’t wait to watch. Thanks Bella!
