Watch a Student With Cerebral Palsy Get Surprised by a Nike Running Contract

No, you’re crying!

A U.S. student with cerebral palsy has received a professional running contract with Nike.

Justin Gallegos, a junior at the University of Oregon, was surprised with the offer on video, having been led to believe the cameras were there to simply document his recent cross country race.

However, as the now-viral clip of him receiving the three-year offer documents, he was met at the finish line by Nike’s insight director John Douglass, and became the first pro athlete in Nike history with cerebral palsy.

According to his student newspaper, the Daily Emerald, Gallegos wore a pair of Nike Pegasus shoes during his first meet with the UO Track Club in 2016, but one of the shoes fell off 50m into the race. He picked up the shoe and ran with it in his hands, before eventually putting it back on.

That incident eventually inspired Nike’s running department to work with Gallegos on the development of a running shoe for people with disabilities: the FlyEase running shoe.

Though cerebral palsy can affect a person’s ability to move (along with motor skills and muscle tone), Gallegos is aiming to break the two-hour barrier in the half marathon, having only missed the mark by three minutes and 49 seconds in April.

 

 

 

 

 

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I’m still at loss for words! Thank to everyone for the love and the support not only the past couple days but the last seven years of my life! Beyond blessed to officially represent the swoosh! Still can’t believe I made Nike history! Very excited! Big things are yet to come! Trust in the process! And trust in God! All glory to the most high! God is truly good! #NikeRunning #NIKE #SWOOSH #SwooshFamily #Beaverton #Nike72 #JustDoIt #ThereIsNoFinishLine #StrongerEveryMile #NoSuchThingAsADisability #Limitless #Breaking2

A post shared by Justin "Magic" Gallegos (@zoommagic) on Oct 8, 2018 at 12:08pm PDT

He had previously set up a GoFundMe page in 2016 to help cover his tuition costs, though the Nike contract (the details of which are still under wraps) will likely help Gallegos keep training and studying.

Header Image: YouTube (Elevation 0m)