Dathan Ritzenhein, an Olympic distance runner for the United States, was starting to feel sick from his thyroid medication — a drug that was not medically necessary but one that his coach, a powerful and combative figure in the sport, had strongly recommended to improve his performance.
The coach was Alberto Salazar, a running legend himself who after his competitive career had teamed up with Nike, the world’s largest athletic apparel manufacturer, to train elite runners. He was dismissive when Ritzenhein expressed concerns, Ritzenhein later said under oath. Salazar was focused on revving Ritzenhein’s endocrine system for a coming race, he said, “instead of just whatever was best for my health.