Boris Berian

Collegiate While running at Adams State, he won both the 2012 NCAA Men's Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships and NCAA Men's Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships at 800 meters. His wins helped Adams State to the outdoor team title and to second place indoors. Adams State coach Joe Vigil recommended Berian to the Big Bear Track Club, a small club formed by Carlos Handler around his wife, Brenda Martinez. Over the following year he improved to become the fifth-fastest American over 800 metres.

Professional Berian experienced a breakout year in 2016. After winning the US Indoor Championship over 800 m, he went on to win the World Indoor Championship over the same distance. During the outdoor season, Berian won the 800 m at the Prefontaine Classic before finishing runner-up to Clayton Murphy at the US Olympic Trials. He then reached the final of the 800 m at the Rio Olympic Games where he finished in last place.

Nike contract dispute In early 2016, Berian received an offer sheet from New Balance with terms he found agreeable. Berian's contract with Nike had expired on December 31, 2015, but Nike retained the right to match a competitor's term sheet for 180 days. Nike indicated that they would match the New Balance offer and then sued him for breach of contract when he wouldn't sign with Nike. Berian argued that Nike failed to match the New Balance offer; both Nike and New Balance offered him $125,000 per year for three years, but the Nike offer included large reductions if Berian failed to meet expectations, while the New Balance offer contained no such reductions. Nike claimed they were prepared to fully match the New Balance contract but Berian's agent, Merhawi Keflezighi, did not communicate its terms to them adequately. In early June 2016, Portland district judge Marco Hernandez approved Nike's request to temporarily prohibit Berian from competing in New Balance gear. Nike's claims that reductions were an industry standard were contradicted by several of its rivals, including Oiselle, Brooks and New Balance. Hernandez was expected to make his next ruling on the matter after a hearing on June 21, but decided to delay it for a week; he did not extend the injunction against Berian competing in New Balance gear, which expired, and his comments in court indicated he felt that Nike had failed to match the New Balance offer. Nike, which had received negative publicity as a result of the controversy, dropped the lawsuit at that point.