By Chris Chavez
July 18, 2024
Three weeks after qualifying for her first U.S. Olympic team in the 200 meters, Brittany Brown has signed a professional contract with Nike. She was previously sponsored by Adidas from 2020 through last month’s U.S. Olympic Trials.
Despite reaching the 100m final at last summer’s World Championships in Budapest, Brown chose to focus on the 200m this year. It paid off as she ran her personal best of 21.90 to finish second behind Gabby Thomas in the 200m final at the U.S. Olympic Trials and qualify for her first Olympic Games.
In Paris next month, she will look to add a second global championship medal to her collection after her silver at the 2019 World Championships in Doha.
We spoke with her on Monday to chat through her sponsorship switch and how things have progressed since the Trials. The following interview has been edited lightly for clarity.
Brittany Brown Signs With Nike Ahead Of Olympic Debut
CITIUS MAG: Congrats on the new signing! What’s got you most excited right now?
BRITTANY BROWN: This all happened after the Trials and I’m happy to know that I’m being supported by a brand that goes after the things I want. It’s exciting as I’m about to turn 30 and going into my peak years.
CITIUS MAG: Obviously, we saw you kitted out in adidas at the Trials. Now you’re representing Nike. How’d that happen?
BRITTANY BROWN: After the Trials, I found myself being a free agent with my existing deal having expired. I was drawn to Nike because of their significant investment in women's sports. I deeply value the direction that Nike is going and I’m excited to star this new chapter of my professional career!
CITIUS MAG: Is it weird to switch spikes now between Trials and Olympics to find what works best for you?
BRITTANY BROWN: It’s funny because my coach just asked me what I was wearing when I won my first medal. I was wearing my old Nike college spikes from Iowa. It worked out perfectly. It’s not weird because I’ve run in Nike before. It’s not weird unless you make it a thing. You get used to it and a lot of athletes make do with what they have. I’m hoping I have some good luck in them again.
CITIUS MAG: In the last few weeks, have you felt any sort of change in your day-to-day since becoming an Olympian? We had one post with you on Instagram where you wrote: “My name is Brittany Shamere Brown I never won a track state title. I didn’t go to a “big track school.” I never won an NCAA Title. Wasn’t signed right out of college to a shoe company. BUT I JUST WOKE UP AN OLYMPIAN!!” and it went crazy viral. It has garnered more than 235,000 likes. So your story is getting out there.
BRITTANY BROWN: That post blew up. And it's funny because I was just tweeting. I didn't think anything would come of it. The biggest thing has been engagement with the media and my fans. Obviously, my follower count grew and people are learning more about my story and what I have experienced with endometriosis. I’m feeling the love.
I have fans in Iowa. I have fans in California. I have fans in Arkansas. I feel like a nomad in track because of these little subsections of fans everywhere. The new fans are also part of my story. So, it's been exciting. It's been a little different.
I feel very vocal right now about certain things and certain topics but I'm also ready to get in my little cocoon again. Probably after this Nike announcement, I’ll likely get off social media for a while so I can just focus.
I'm excited to share. I know that this is something that can resonate not just with athletes but with everyday people who are trying to make a dream come alive – even when it feels like all the odds are stacked against you.
CITIUS MAG: I just looked at the world list. You’re the third-fastest woman in the world this year over 200m, are we thinking of medals for Paris?
BRITTANY BROWN: Yeah! We’re dreaming of medals, man! Speaking medals into life. Training has been going well. I’m excited about what I can do in Paris to toe the line again. Excited to be back in some Nike spikes and having some good juju about winning another medal in them. The cool thing about sharing my story is that I feel connected with so many other people and I think that helps you show up on the line better. You know you’re not just doing it for just you. I do feel like I’m an everyday girl. From that tweet you mentioned earlier, I think people know that I wasn’t some child prodigy. No one saw all this at a young age. I just worked my ass off to get here. I worked hard to get here despite a lot of things I dealt with.
CITIUS MAG: Lastly, you had this video of you from 2016 sending a message to Michael Phelps about how much he inspired you. It resurfaced and went viral again. He commented on Instagram. Is a meet-up happening in Paris?
BRITTANY BROWN: I don’t know! I know he’s commentating out there but I haven’t looked at the swim schedule. Everyone is commenting about how we need to meet up. I would love to meet Michael Phelps.
I do mini-vlogs for myself all the time. I realized I’d been doing this even before YouTube. I would just sit there and record myself so I have a lot. I’m hoping we do get to meet up. Maybe NBC can make it happen? I would probably freak out. It would have to be after my rounds. It would be a full-circle moment. He said he wanted to go out and do something and he did it. That’s what I want to be. I want to say I’m doing something and I want to be able to accomplish it.
Chris Chavez
Chris Chavez launched CITIUS MAG in 2016 as a passion project while working full-time for Sports Illustrated. He covered the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and grew his humble blog into a multi-pronged media company. He completed all six World Marathon Majors and is an aspiring sub-five-minute miler.
