USA's Boris Berian advances to 800 semifinals

RIO DE JANEIRO — The Nike swoosh on the left breast of Boris Berian’s jersey might be not quite as big as the American flag emblem on his chest, but it’s there.

“It doesn’t bother me,” said Berian, who finished third in his qualifying heat in the men’s 800 meters (1:45.87) to advance into Saturday’s semifinals.

“I’m here to represent the U.S., so if I have to wear that, all right. But I’m here for the USA.”

To understand just why a logo demands a question demands a bit of background. In late May, Nike served Berian a suit alleging a breach of contract, stating that the 23-year-old had violated the terms of an agreement that expired on Dec. 31 of last year.

The suit, which Nike dropped in June, was illuminating for the spotlight it flashed on endorsements, which stand as the lifeblood for any professional track athlete yet are rarely discussed on such a public stage.

“I wouldn’t say it was too much of a distraction, but it was annoying,” Berian said. “It kind of bothered me in that sense. But I have great supporters, my family, so I just kept my mind on that.”

But that’s in the past; a medal might be in Berian’s future, if he can navigate a tough list of competitors in an event recently dominated by Kenya – which has taken the gold and bronze medals in each of the past two Summer Games.

“It’s a strong field,” Berian said, adding that he expected that it would take a time no higher than 1:45 to advance into the finals.

His time on Friday was, at worst, a solid first step toward medal contention. It had been a month since his last race, at the U.S. Olympic team trials in early July — making his qualifying heat “a rust-buster,” he said.

The month since the trials was spent toning down his weekly mileage and focusing on speed training: Berian is “in really good shape on my speed side,” he said, though his “strength could be a little better.”

“Just walking on the track got me pretty hyped,” he said. “But I’m here to do work, so I’m just focusing my mentality on getting through the race.”

ALSO: Berian's teammate, Clayton Murphy, advanced as a time qualifier. Charles Jock was elminated.

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