BEDFORD, MA--(Marketwire - January 19, 2010) - (NASDAQ: PODD) -- Kris Freeman, one of the country's most elite cross-country skiers, has been selected to compete as a part of the US Ski Team in the 2010 Olympic Games this February in Vancouver. Freeman, a medal contender in all three cross-country skiing distance events, is a fierce competitor on the course and also faces a serious challenge in his everyday life -- Type 1 diabetes. Diabetes has not kept Freeman from racking up titles throughout the season in one of the toughest endurance sports, thanks in part to the OmniPod® Insulin Management System, the world's first tubing-free insulin pump.
"I am thrilled to return to the Olympics and very grateful I am able to do so with my diabetes well controlled," said Freeman. "The OmniPod System has been key to helping me perform to the best of my ability. Its tubing-free design and ease of use provides me with the freedom I need on the course to manage my diabetes with peace of mind and it is durable enough to withstand even the toughest conditions I face during a race. I hope to inspire other people with diabetes to manage their disease while reaching for their dreams."
This season, Freeman won his 13th national championship by taking the 15-kilometer race at the United States Cross-Country Ski Championships. He is a three-time Olympian, and the second most successful American cross-country skier of all time. In February 2009, Freeman took fourth place at the Liberec Czech Republic 15k Classic World Championships. In November, he set a new record at the Kuusamo Finland Classic World Cup finishing fourth with the best U.S. distance finish in a World Cup since 1983.
Until now, few athletes with type 1 diabetes have competed in an Olympic endurance sport. With his diabetes under control, Freeman heads to Vancouver fully focused on winning the USA's first Olympic cross-country skiing medal since Bill Koch's silver in 1976 and the first ever cross-country Olympic medal for an athlete with diabetes.
About the OmniPod Insulin Management System
The OmniPod Insulin Management System is the world's first tubing-free insulin pump. OmniPod offers people living with insulin-requiring diabetes all the benefits of insulin pump therapy, with unprecedented freedom, comfort and ease. OmniPod has just two components: the small, discreet, watertight Pod, worn almost anywhere on the body to hold and deliver insulin; and the PDM (Personal Diabetes Manager), a hand-held device that communicates wirelessly to program the Pod, calculates suggested doses and has a built-in FreeStyle® blood glucose meter. For more information, please visit: www.myomnipod.com
About Insulet Corporation
Insulet Corporation is an innovative medical device company dedicated to
improving the lives of people with diabetes. The Company's OmniPod Insulin
Management System is a revolutionary, discreet and easy-to-use insulin
infusion system that features two easy-to-use parts with no tubing and
fully-automated cannula insertion. Through the OmniPod System, Insulet
seeks to expand the use of insulin pump therapy among people with
insulin-dependent diabetes. Founded in 2000, Insulet is based in Bedford,
MA
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