Nico Young signs NIL deal with Adidas days after breaking the NCAA 10,000m record

NCAA 5000m and 10,000m record holder Nico Young has bagged a Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) deal with sportswear company Adidas.

Young has been sensational since the start of the 2024 season. The 21-year-old made the news after finishing 3rd in the 800m race at the Big Sky Indoor Championships on 24th February. He clocked 1:49.61s to bag the podium, missing the top place by a little more than 0.2 seconds.

Young later ran in the mile short track event as well and clocked 4:01.17s to win the race. At the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, he clocked 13:25.29s to win the 5k title on March 8.

A day later, the Arizona athlete ran in the 3000m race and clocked 7:41.01s to win his second title in two days. Following impressive performances over the past few weeks, Young has been rewarded with a NIL contract from global sportswear brand Adidas.

Young announced the official partnership with Adidas on Instagram. He wrote:

"Excited to announce my NIL partnership with @adidas and @adidasrunning ! Grateful to be part of the Adidas family! /// #NIL #adidas #adidasrunning"

Young broke the NCAA 10,000m record on March 16 after clocking 26:52.72s at the Sound Running's The Ten. He finished second behind the American record holder Grant Fisher. Young's clock time of less than 27:00.00 also secured him the Olympic qualifying standard for Paris 2024.

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Nico Young started the season with a historic sub-4 minute mile timing

Nico Young in action at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships 2024

Nico Young became the first man in history to clock a sub-4 minute mile at almost 7,000 feet elevation after he ran 3:57.33 at the Lumberjack Team Challenge in January.

When adjusted for altitude, the 21-year-old’s time is equal to 3:48.71 which is the leading time in NCAA history. This timing also made Young the 8th-fastest mile runner in America’s history.

Earlier in December, the NAL runner clocked the then-NCAA No. 1 time of 7:37.73 in the 3k event while he ran 13:22.96 in the 5k race. At the NCAA Cross Country Championships, Young had finished 6th.