This high profile group of Olympic champions and challengers are being promoted by the company as figures to inspire people to lead active, balanced lives.

The Coca-Cola "Eight-Pack", as they are known, united for the first time this week in Boston for a photo shoot.

The images captured will be featured next year on special Coca-Cola in-store materials and advertising that will invite people to share in the excitement of London 2012.

Besides Johnson, who won four medals at Beijing 2008, including gold in the beam, and Long, who won three golds at Athens in 2004 and three at Beijing, another member of the team is wrestler Henry Cejudo, the Olympic champion in the 55kg freestyle division.

Others to be chosen are David Oliver, the Olympic 110 metres hurdles bronze medallist, and diver David Boudia, who won a silver medal in the platform synchro at the World Championships in Rome in 2009. 

Making up the team is Marlen Esparza, the top-ranked US amateur flyweight female boxer for the last five years; tennis player John Inser, winner of the record-breaking singles tennis match at Wimbledon last year which lasted for more than 11 hours; and Alex Morgan, the youngest member of the US women's football team.

This is the third consecutive Olympic Games in which Coca-Cola has included a collection of athletes as part of the brand's Olympic programme.

While previous Coca-Cola Olympic Games programmes have featured six athletes, this is first time the brand has highlighted eight athletes, tying in with their new eight-packs of mini cans.

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