Galen Rupp Hires Former Track Star Michael Johnson As Agent; Turns Pro

For years, Galen Rupp has done workouts on a five-lane track in a corner of the Nike corporate campus named for Michael Johnson.

Next to the track is a bronze
statue of Johnson, owner of four Olympic gold medals, rising out of the
blocks and wearing his signature gold spikes.

But now, Johnson works for Rupp.

The Portland native and U.S.
10,000-meter champion chose Johnson and his management company,
Ultimate Performance, to represent him after meeting with a total of
four agents Saturday.

“I felt like he was someone I
could trust from the get-go and that’s something that’s been really
important to me all along,” Rupp said.

The move makes Rupp a professional and opens the way for him to start getting paid for his running.