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Canada’s top 1,500m man from Rio lands new sponsor after months in limbo

Nate Brannen, who finished 10th at the Rio Olympics in the 1,500m, the top result in that event among Canadians, has a new sponsor. (Homepage photo: Claus Andersen.)

Nate Brannen

Canada’s top 1,500m runner from Rio 2016 has a new sponsor.

Nate Brannen, who previously ran for Saucony, signed a contract with the world’s largest sportswear brand. Brannen, 34, confirmed to Canadian Running that he signed with Nike a “few weeks ago.” Terms and conditions are unknown. Wynn Gmitroski remains his coach.

The three-time Olympian for Canada finished 10th at the Rio Olympics in the 1,500m, the only Canadian to reach the final of the most recent edition of the Summer Games. Brannen had been without a sponsor from Jan. 1, 2017 up until recently. He had a strong winter including a victory at the Camel City Elite mile in North Carolina as well as a running a solid 7:47.18 for 3,000m.

Brannen ran for Saucony for seven years. Among his lengthy list of accomplishments are winning a silver at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and the 2015 Pan Am Games. The father, who attended the University of Michigan with the likes of Nick Willis and Michael Woods, now an Olympian in cycling, currently resides in Avon Lake, Ohio.

The middle-distance runner has been one of Canada’s most consistent runners in the past decade and a half. He represented Canada at the 2002 IAAF World Championships, the first of four appearances at the global championships. (He raced at the 2005, 2009 and 2013 IAAF World Championships too.)

Brannen will make his debut for Nike at the 2017 Payton Jordan Invitational in the men’s 5,000m. That race goes off from Palo Alto, Calif. on May 5.

Homepage photo by Claus Andersen.

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