In October we celebrated Champions Week, where we showcased the sporting achievements of SiS athletes and teams around the world. As we see out 2021, we wanted to extend this celebration by way of a year-end review, highlighting the successes of our elite partners. Our world-leading nutritionists, scientists and technicians work within some of the most renowned and successful organisations in sport, such as the INEOS Grenadiers and the Milwaukee Bucks. Collaborating with their in-house teams of sports nutritionists, we plan and execute their nutrition strategy as well as create bespoke products tailored to the specific needs of their athletes. We are committed to all of our elite partners and therefore obsess about their progress. We work with them side-by-side, carrying out research, dedicating hands-on support and providing innovative performance products to fuel their athletic endeavours. Teams or individuals, it means that their victories are also ours and we are invested in every one. We’ve fuelled their efforts. We’ve fuelled their focus. We’ve fuelled their recovery from gruelling sessions. We’ve enabled the best athletes in the world to go harder, faster and further than ever before. We are their competitive advantage in the quest for victory. INEOS GRENADIERS Undoubtedly the greatest highlight of the INEOS Grenadiers’ 2021 season was Egan Bernal retaining the pink jersey and taking overall victory in the Giro d’Italia. An exceptional team win in the event saw Filippo Ganna win his record fifth TT in the Giro. Other overall wins included Ivan Sosa’s Tour de la Provence and Adam Yates’s sweep of the Volta a Catalunya podium with Richie Porte and Geraint Thomas. INEOS’ all-star cast meant that there were plenty of victories to be had. Geraint Thomas then took the overall win in the Tour de Romandie, and then Richie Porte became the first Australian in 36 years to win the Criterium du Dauphine. Richard Carapaz took the overall win in the Tour de Suisse before securing the team’s second Grand Tour podium of the season at the Tour de France. Ethan Hayter then won the Tour of Norway before finishing second at the Tour of Britain. Read more about the INEOS Grenadiers’ season here: https://www.scienceinsport.com/championsweek-champion-page-egan-bernal USA TRIATHLON In 2021, USA Triathlon won the most medals by any country at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. With three gold, three silver and one bronze medal, USA Triathlon improved on its medal count from the Rio 2016 Games by one medal each in both the Olympics and Paralympics. In the World Triathlon Championship Series events, the U.S. also became the first country to finish a WTCS with five women and three men in the top 12 of their respective overall rankings. Taylor Knibb’s second place finish and Taylor Spivey’s third place finish marked the third time the U.S. has finished the series with two women on the overall podium. Read more about USA Triathlon’s season here: https://www.scienceinsport.com/championsweek-champion-page-usa-triathlon LEGION OF LA L39ION of LA had an exceptional 2021 season as their two rosters took a total of 75 first place finishes, dominating in virtually every race they entered. Particular highlights include arguably the biggest event in the domestic Crit Racing calendar, the Saint Francis Tulsa Tough in Oklahoma, where Cory Williams and Skylar Schneider took the men’s and women’s general classifications. In the largest competitive road cycling series in the US, the Tour of America’s Dairyland, Skylar Schneider took an incredible five consecutive first place finishes over as many days during the 11 days of racing. Another typical display of dominance found L39ION on the podium on every day of the final race of 2021. In the Gateway Cup, a four-day criterium race held in St. Louis, Missouri, Skylar Schneider made the podium on all four days of the race with first place finishes on day two and day three. In the Pro Men category, Cory Williams took first place on all four days, taking the overall title. He was supported every day on the podium in second and third place by either Tyler Magner or Justin Williams. Read more about the L39GION’s 2021 season here: https://www.scienceinsport.com/sports-nutrition/legion-of-la-season-review/ ENGLAND FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION As of the end of November, the Lionesses remain five points clear in Group D, maintaining their 100% record in World Cup qualifying. Scoring 53 goals and conceding none in the six matches they’ve played so far in Group D, it has been a spectacular turnaround in performances following the appointment of Dutch manager Sarina Wiegman who has put the Lionesses in a good position to secure qualification to the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. As well as the FA’s Performance Research Partner, Science in Sport also supports the nutritional requirements of Lionesses Fran Kirby, Jordan Knobbs and Alex Greenwood. Fran Kirby had an outstanding season, earning WSL Player of the Year and a second Football Writers Association Women’s Footballer of the Year award. She also helped Chelsea to an FA Women’s Super League title, a League Cup winners title, and an FA Community Shield title. NYCFC 2021 already marked a significant milestone in New York City Football Club’s short history as the league’s 20th franchise reached its first ever MLS Cup final with a dramatic 88th-minute goal in the semi-finals against Philadelphia Union. They then went on to stun the Portland Timbers in a nailbiting final. After taking the lead late in the first half courtesy of 2021 MLS Golden Boot winner Valentin Castellanos, Portland scored a dramatic late equalizer that sent the game into extra time. Unable to break the deadlock, the game went into penalties where NYCFC were able to secure their first MLS championship with a 4-2 victory. Finishing 4th in the Eastern Conference with an overall 8th place finish in MLS, a successful 2021 campaign also included reaching the quarter finals of the Leagues Cup. Competing for the first time in the competition, an annual contest between clubs from MLS and Liga MX, NYCFC lost out on penalties to Mexico City club side Club Universidad Nacional (UNAM). Read more about our partnership with NYCFC here: https://www.scienceinsport.com/us/sis-nycfc-launch GERMAN CYCLING FEDERATION A successful 2021 season for Germany centred on three standout performances. In October, Germany broke the women’s team sprint world record three times as Lea Friedrich, Emma Hinze and Pauline Grabosch took gold in the three-rider, three-lap team event at the 2021 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Roubaix, France. In other shows of German dominance, Lisa Brennauer, Franziska Brausse and Mieke Kröger won Olympic, European and UCI World titles this year in the team pursuit. And in the newly launched Tour of Germany, Nils Politt made history as he held off the sprinters with an 11-second margin to take over the leader’s red jersey and emerge the overall victor. The national governing body for cycling in Germany is a member of the UCI and the UEC. It issues racing licences, organises training for athletes and coaches, undertakes youth work, and oversees cycle races in Germany. As a nutrition partner, Science in Sport works with the men’s, women’s and development teams. CHAMPIONS SCIENCE IN SPORT WILL BE FUELLING IN 2022 MILWAUKEE BUCKS In 2021, the Milwaukee Bucks won their first NBA championship in 50 years when they took down the Phoenix Suns in six games. Down 2-0 in the first two games of the seven-game series, the Bucks became only the fifth team in NBA history to win the championship after losing the first two games. Science in Sport is proud to be working with the Milwaukee Bucks for the 2022 season, having formed an innovative partnership aimed at supporting the Bucks’ world-class sports science team. As part of the partnership, SiS has become the Bucks’ Official Vitamins & Supplements Partner, and will work collaboration with the Bucks to form a better understanding of the NBA athlete and the creation of player-specific custom products curated by SiS and Bucks team nutritionists. BRITISH ROWING The governing body of rowing in Great Britain and England, it is responsible for the participation and development of the sport in all formats and for the training and selection of individual rowers and crews representing Great Britain. British athletes have dominated international rowing for a number of decades, and preparations are well underway for the Paris 2024 Olympics and beyond. Science in Sport’s new partnership with British Rowing will provide world class nutritional support to its athletes and access to the latest innovations to fuel their training and give them a performance edge in competition. The agreement means SiS renews its support for the GB Rowing Team as its official performance nutrition supplier. CRUSADERS The most successful team in Super Rugby, Crusaders have won 12 titles in the short history of the tournament. The Christchurch-based team have most recently won back-to-back Super Rugby Aotearoa championships, and their 2021 win was their fifth consecutive title. As they head into their 27th campaign of Super Rugby, the Crusaders will be playing in Super Rugby Pacific, a joint venture between New Zealand Rugby and Rugby Australia. Science in Sport has teamed up with the Crusaders as their Official Performance Nutrition Partner for the 2022 and 2023 seasons and is proud to be working with one of the best club teams in World Rugby. The partnership will provide the Crusaders with high quality sports nutrition informed by science to help improve performance and help deliver results on the pitch. Written By Nick Burt In a previous life Nick played American football professionally before becoming a secondary school teacher. Nowadays he works as a freelance copywriter where amongst other things he gets to write about his first love – sports. In his spare time, he lifts weights, plays and coaches baseball (which he calls his retirement sport), and travels with his wife to as many countries as he can.
