NEW YORK, Feb 13, 2002 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Ross Powers, the 23 year old from Vermont, went bigger than anyone to secure the Olympic gold and lead an American sweep of medals in the men's halfpipe competition in Salt Lake City, Monday, February 11th. RLX Polo Sport and Polo Ralph Lauren (NYSE: RL) congratulate Ross on his achievement.

"We're thrilled with Ross's success at the Olympic games," said Ralph Lauren, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Polo Ralph Lauren. "Ross has been a member of our RLX Polo Sport Team since its inception 4 years ago, and he embodies all that the RLX brand stands for - innovation, technical performance, and unparalleled style. "

Powers and his U.S. Olympic snowboarding teammates, Danny Kass and J.J. Thomas, took their place in U.S. Olympic history by being the first U.S. podium sweep since the 1958 winter games.

"The sweep is huge," said Powers. "After everything that's happened since September 11th, it means even more to us. Snowboarding started in America, so to sweep it here in our home country, it's just awesome."

Powers is the most decorated snowboarder in United States history having won a bronze at the Nagano Olympics in 1998, Olympic medals, the 2000 ISF World Halfpipe Championship, and numerous other top-tier events including the X-Games, Gravity Games, and Goodwill Games. Along with his athletic accomplishments he has created the Ross Powers Foundation, a non-profit foundation to support Vermont athletes with financial needs, and is a strong supporter of Boarders for Breast Cancer.

Powers, along with other members of the RLX Snowboard Team participate in research and development, design, and on-snow testing of all RLX wintersports apparel. For more on RLX Polo Sports athletes and RLX visit www.polo.com.

Carl Swenson, RLX Mountain Bike Champion and U.S. Olympic Cross Country Team member will compete in the 4x10 km Cross Country Relay on Sunday, February 17th and the Cross Country Sprint on Tuesday, February 19th at Soldier Hollow.

Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation is a leader in the design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in four categories: apparel, home, accessories and fragrances. For more than 30 years, Polo's reputation and distinctive image have been consistently developed across an expanding number of products, brands and international markets. The Company's brand names, which include "Polo", "Polo by Ralph Lauren", "Ralph Lauren", "RALPH", "Lauren", "Polo Jeans Co.", "Chaps", "RLX Polo Sport", and "Club Monaco" among others, constitute one of the world's most widely recognized families of consumer brands.

CONTACT: Nancy Fendler for Polo Ralph Lauren, +1-207-761-8005, or nancy@fendler.com