Nico Young looks majestic when he runs… especially when a camera crew is following his every step!
The star runner, who raced his way into the record books in his Olympics debut, inked an endorsement deal with Adidas last spring. The apparel giant has outfitted him head-to-toe in Adidas gear, which he’s shown off in multiple videos created for social media.
The latest clip shows Young training in beautiful Flagstaff, Arizona, where he won numerous NCAA titles at Northern Arizona University. There he is, running on those dirt roads, with nothing but nature in his path.
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The song choice, a folksy ditty by Richy Mitch & the Coal Miners, adds to the bucolic aesthetic.
Young gives filming credit to fellow NAU Lumberjacks Caleb Easton and Alex Carlson, showing that he doesn’t run alone. That is, except when he’s smoking the competition!
The 22-year-old Young won two NCAA Division 1 National Championships to finish off his collegiate career, setting the NCAA record in the 5,000-meter with a time of 12:57.17. He’s the only college runner in history to break the 13-minute threshold.
A couple of months later, Young followed up his triumph with two wins at the NCAA Division 1 National Championships in Boston. In the 5,000-meter, Young ran his final quarter in just 54.3 seconds.
As an encore performance, Young dominated the 3,000-meter the next day, winning the race in record time.
Nico Young wins his first NCAA title closing in 54.3‼️‼️pic.twitter.com/2mywzs5zWi
— CITIUS MAG (@CitiusMag) March 8, 2024
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Nico Young shows he’s the future of USA track at the Olympics by racing his way into the record books
The out track star would’ve set an Olympic record in any other year.
Pegged for greatness since he was a high school runner, Young finishing third in the men’s 10,000 meters at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials in Eugene, good enough for a spot on Team USA. With his qualification, Young became the first out gay male track and field Olympian in U.S. history.
He wrote down his name on a replica of the Eiffel Tour at midfield, savoring the moment. “I mean, it is amazing,” he said on NBC. “Yeah, just I feel like this is where I kind of saw my season going and to execute it today is like surreal.”
Though Young didn’t medal in Paris, his performance was still one to remember. He was the youngest American to compete in the 10,000-meter in 20 years, finishing 12th overall. With a blistering time of 26 minutes, 58 seconds, Young would’ve set the Olympic record in the 10,000-meter at any other prior Games. (Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda captured gold with a time of 26:43.11.)
“Olympic Debut!!! 12th in the world and under the Olympic record,” Young posted on Instagram, to the tune of nearly 22,400 likes. “This race was an incredible experience and also incredibly tough, proud to be competing this far into my season. So ready for a break and some rest. Excited to use this global experience in the future and begin this next year as a pro!”
Only in his early 20s, Young has a long career ahead of him.
“I know I’m pretty young, so in the next Olympics in 2028 and 2032, I’ll still be in my 20s so I’m very excited,” he said. “Hopefully that’s going to be the peak of my career.”
Importantly, Young doesn’t seem to let his goals for the future impact his enjoyment of the present. He soaked in his Olympic experience after he was finished competing, touring around Paris with his parents.
Now back in the States, Young is set to embark on his first year as a professional runner. He’s already hitting the track!
His high school coach, Sean Brosnan, filmed him looking smooooth for fall.
When Young publicly came out in 2022, he said he wanted to be visible. As an Olympian and Adidas athlete, it’s fair to say he’s accomplished his goal.
“Anyone who tells you that being gay is a choice is wrong,” he wrote in his coming out post. “I am living proof that it is not a choice, it is something I have always known and been aware of, but have kept silent out of fear of rejection. I have struggled to accept myself, but I am becoming more proud and happy with who I am.”
Like other out Olympians, Young is fully leaning into his queer identity to boost his celebrity and bank account. We must say, he looks pretty good in an Adidas tracksuit!
Running comes so easily to Young, he makes us want to put on a pair of sneakers, and hit the road ourselves… preferably in scenic Flagstaff.
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Track star Nico Young is the latest gay college athlete to land a major sponsorship deal
Athletes used to fear that being publicly out would make them unmarketable. That’s not the case anymore.
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