Happy Berian off to winning start at US trials

World indoor champion Boris Berian drew a line under his legal problems to cruise into the semi-finals of the 800 meters at the US Track & Field Olympic trials. 

Berian, who blasted to victory at the indoor world championships in Portland earlier this year, was racing for the first time since sports goods giant Nike dropped a threatened lawsuit against him. 

The 23-year-old California-based middle distance runner was all smiles on Friday after coasting to victory in his heat at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, in a time of 1 minute 46.03 seconds.

Berian, who was served with legal papers by Nike's attorneys while racing in Los Angeles in May, said he was relieved to have finally put the saga behind him. 

"It's nice to get that weight off my shoulders. I didn't realize how much it was bothering me until it was settled," Berian told reporters. 

"I just relaxed today and it was a good feeling."

Berian said he had tried to put the threat of legal action out of his mind while training for the trials -- not altogether successfully.

"I was just trying to stay as focused as I can, keeping all the crazy legal stuff with my agent and lawyers and trying to stay relaxed and focused on my running," he said. 

"I was definitely annoyed, every single day, but I just kept running." 

Nike had successfully gained a temporary restraining order preventing Berian from racing in non-Nike gear before ending its legal action last week. 

Berian signed a deal with Nike in June 2015 that expired at the end of the year.

However, Nike retained the right to match any offer he received from a third party. 

Berian switched to a rival manufacturer earlier this season after stating that Nike had not matched the firm's contract terms. 

Nike contested the claim, insisting it had tabled an offer equivalent to the deal put forward by his supplier, reportedly worth $375,000 (329,000 euros) over three years. 

Source: AFP