Kellogg's® Launches One Year Countdown to the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games with Announcement of Team Kellogg's™ Team USA Athletes

BATTLE CREEK, Mich., Feb. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games kick off one year from today, and Kellogg's® officially started their countdown by announcing Team Kellogg's™, an elite group of Olympic legends and Olympic and Paralympic athletes aspiring to represent Team USA. Get to know the Team Kellogg's athletes at Facebook.com/Kelloggs.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130207/CG56053)

"From kids to athletes, Kellogg's understands the importance of breakfast as a great start to help everyone reach their potential," said Kellogg North America President Brad Davidson.  "We are proud to continue our support of Team USA and partner with this remarkable group of athletes who share our belief that you can't get to the finish line without a great start."

Kellogg's will show once again that from great starts come great things by featuring Team Kellogg's athletes in various promotional materials and offering exclusive content as part of a comprehensive marketing campaign. Kellogg's continues to offer a full portfolio of nutritious foods to help Team USA athletes and everyone realize the potential of a great start.

Meet Team Kellogg's
A mix of nine Olympic medalists and Sochi Games hopefuls make up Team Kellogg's roster.  Olympic gold medalist and figure skating legend Kristi Yamaguchi will serve as co-captain, along with hockey great and Olympic gold medalist Jim Craig.

"I am excited to partner with Kellogg's and this group of amazing athletes to showcase the importance of a great start," said Yamaguchi. "Breakfast was always an integral part to my training routine which helped me win Olympic gold. Now, as a mom of two, I make sure everyone in the family starts the day off right so they can be their best."

Team Kellogg's includes:

• Gretchen Bleiler –Snowboarding
  • When Bleiler was 10 years old her family moved from the plains of Ohio to the mountains of Colorado. Taking advantage of her new home, she first tried skiing, but in an effort to keep up with her older brothers, she started snowboarding. She has become one of the top names in female snowboarding with a 2006 Olympic silver medal and four X-Games gold medals. Her passion also drove her to start the first-ever all girls half-pipe competition, The Snow Angels Invitational, to help other girls unlock their potential.
• Heath Calhoun – Paralympic Alpine Skiing
  • Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, Calhoun joined the U.S. Army and while serving in Iraq in 2003 he lost his legs above the knee in combat. Initially confined to a wheelchair, Calhoun worked with his doctors to find prosthetic legs that helped him rediscovered his mobility. While attending a winter sports clinic in Aspen, Colo., he first attempted snow skiing and got his start on the slopes.
• Jim Craig – Ice Hockey Legend & Team Co-Captain
  • When Craig started playing hockey as kid, he didn't know the rules of the game, so he decided to tend goal as he figured he could at least keep the puck out of the net. And that he did, most memorably in February 1980 at the Winter Olympic Games when the U.S. men's Olympic hockey team defeated the highly favored Soviet team and ultimately won Olympic gold. Thirty three years later, the Miracle on Ice story still captivates, and with Russia's hosting of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, the story is sure to find new life.
• Meryl Davis & Charlie White – Ice Dancing
  • When Davis and White began skating together in 1997, their biggest hurdle was making eye contact with each other. But after working together for 15 years they've overcome that to become five-time national champions, Olympic silver medalists and world champions. They're now determined to bring home gold at the 2014 Games in Sochi.
• Noelle Pikus-Pace – Skeleton
  • A start isn't always at the beginning, as Pikus-Pace knows well. A 2006 Olympic gold medal favorite in women's skeleton, Noelle was tragically hit by a runaway bobsled during team trials and had to sit out the Games. She returned in 2010, just missing the podium by 1/10 of a second. Now, as a mother of two, she is ready to compete in Sochi to finish what she started.
• Amy Purdy – Paralympic Snowboarding
  • Purdy got started down her path at age 19, due to a bout of severe meningitis that claimed both her legs and her spleen; a year and a half later she required a kidney transplant. Despite these health challenges, she has managed to become the US number one ranked adaptive snowboarder and was instrumental in the sport being included in the 2014 Paralympics. She gives back to the Paralympic community consistently, serving as a motivational speaker and humanitarian while constantly challenging herself to complete new endeavors.
• Kristi Yamaguchi – Figure Skating Legend & Team Co-Captain
  • Yamaguchi got her start in skating at the age of six to help her overcome her club feet. A shy kid, the ice became a safe haven and emotional outlet, ultimately boosting her confidence. That simple beginning blossomed into an amazing career, leading her to become one of figure skating's most iconic athletes. The 1992 gold medalist and U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame member has continued to succeed off the ice as an advocate of healthy living and an author of two children's stories.
• Torin Yater-Wallace – Freeskiing
  • The grandson of a surfboard designing legend, Yater-Wallace started skiing at age seven and has relentlessly pushed himself to fly higher and go faster ever since. He learned early on from his grandfather how to follow his dream and unlock his potential through hard work and dedication. That potential makes him a much-talked about U.S. Olympic Team hopeful for 2014.

Kellogg Company and USOC Relationship Continues
Dating back to 1976, Kellogg Company has a long history of helping athletes start the day off right through its support of the United States Olympic Committee. Looking forward, Kellogg is proud to support the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams for the 2014 and 2016 Games, as well as Team USA athletes at the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games. Kellogg's products are available to Team USA athletes at all U.S. Olympic Training Centers in Colorado Springs, Colo., Lake Placid, N.Y., and Chula Vista, Calif.

About Kellogg Company
At Kellogg Company (NYSE: K), we are driven to enrich and delight the world through foods and brands that matter. With 2012 sales of $14.2 billion, Kellogg is the world's leading cereal company; second largest producer of cookies, crackers and savory snacks; and a leading North American frozen foods company.  Every day, our well-loved brands nourish families so they can flourish and thrive. These brands include Kellogg's®, Keebler®, Special K®, Pringles®, Frosted Flakes®, Pop-Tarts®, Corn Flakes®, Rice Krispies®, Kashi®, Cheez-It®, Eggo®, Coco Pops®, Mini-Wheats®, and many more. To learn more about our responsible business leadership, foods that delight and how we strive to make a difference in our communities around the world, visit www.kelloggcompany.com.

SOURCE Kellogg Company