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As the countdown to the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing progresses, some of the final �C but most critical �C events are taking place in pools and athletic fields around the world. Olympic hopefuls are competing for spots on their countries' national teams.It was a particularly happy weekend for three of OMEGA's ambassadors who not only qualified for the American team but also set world records in their respective events (although one of the record times could not be reported as such).In the poolOlympic gold medallist Michael Phelps broke his own world record in the 400-metre individual medley with a winning time of 4 minutes, 5.25 seconds, finishing just ahead of Ryan Lochte whose time as runner-up also beat the previous record.Less than an hour later, at the same pool in Omaha, Nebraska, Katie Hoff broke the women's 400-metre individual medley world record with a time of 4 minutes, 31.12 seconds.On the trackOn the same day, at the U. S. Olympic track and field trials in Eugene, Oregon, sprinter Tyson Gay recorded the fastest time in history for the 100-metres sprint but the tailwind exceeded the maximum allowable for a world record; nevertheless, his time was a remarkable 9.68 seconds and it announces boldly that the current World Champion is on course to make his sprint events among the most exciting, popular events at the Olympic Games in Beijing.We at OMEGA extend our congratulations to our three brand ambassadors for their extraordinary performances.

OMEGA's international ambassadors are a cornerstone in the brand's promotional activities, appearing in advertisements, adding a special touch to events and reinforcing OMEGA's involvement in sports. As a manufacturer of prestige timepieces with over 150 years of tradition behind it, OMEGA attaches great importance to long-term relationships with such spokespersons for the brand. Well-known international celebrities such as Cindy Crawford, Pierce Brosnan, and Michael Schumacher have all been partners of OMEGA since the mid-1990s and are quite naturally regarded as part of the family.The young Sergio Garcia is the perfect addition to OMEGA's family of golfing ambassadors, which comprises South Africa's Ernie Els, China's Zhang Lian-Wei and the Danish lady golfer Iben Tinning. This strong on-course presence is complemented by the title sponsorship of the OMEGA European Masters and the OMEGA Hong Kong Open, as well as OMEGA's official timekeeping of the US PGA Tour, the Senior Tour and several other events on the European Tour.Having turned professional in 1999, Sergio Garcia went on to win the Murphy's Irish Open and the Linde German Masters in the same year, also coming second to Tiger Woods in the US PGA Championship at Medina and helping Spain to win the Alfred Dunhill Cup. In 2001, Garcia won the MasterCard Colonial and the Buick Classic in the USA. It was thanks to these victories that Sam Torrance picked Garcia as one of the wild cards for the 34th Ryder Cup matches.Speaking at a press conference to announce the new partnership, OMEGA President Stephen Urquhart commented "Sergio Garcia is representative of the many young golfers currently taking up this unique sport. Although he is already world famous, he has his whole golfing future ahead of him."For his part, Sergio Garcia explained the reasons for his choice of OMEGA:"OMEGA has done a great job of securing some the world's best players for the OMEGA European Masters. I am very happy to be associated with OMEGA. Not only because the brand is very involved in golf at all levels, but also because the brand has both a fantastic history and a very dynamic and forward-looking image. I am certain that this will be a tremendous relationship for both of us".