Nia Akins and Brooks part ways

She unfollowed Brandon miller too

I don’t buy it. Sounds like a petty human being to unfollow teammates.

That's not what I meant haha, just that I wonder if her circumstances leaving were not amicable (as someone pointed out she also unfollowed Brandon Miller). Or perhaps she never liked them and was only following them because they were teammates.

i wouldn't be quick to judge until the entire story is known. there's multiple possibilities here.

i would say that kerr likely has quite a bit of say as to what goes on within the group. kind of strange considering ribich's departure from the team.

Would love to see Akins at VNTC.

She didn't perform at the Olympics. That has to be the reason for parting ways.

Nia is kind of a loner. She wasn't actually friends with most of the Brooks Beasts.

Outside of Brooks, Nia is friends with Melissa Tanaka (Oiselle and Penn alum who lives in LA), Allie Wilson (Nike), Juliette Whittaker (Stanford/On), and Bella Whittaker, a 400 runner, a Penn alum and not yet sponsored apparently, but just moved to Arkansas.

I wouldn't be surprised if Nia ends up at Arkansas with fellow Penn alum Bella Whittaker, and trains with Arkansas 1:59 college runner, Sanu Jallow, and their 1:57 pro runner, who just finished 4th in the Olympics, Shafiqua Fi-Fi Maloney.

Or maybe she ends up at Stanford with JJ Clark, if he feels like training a pro runner. Nia Akins, Juliette Whittaker, and Roisin Willis would make a pretty high level training group.

In LA there are several pro 800 runners including her former teammate Melissa Tanaka, Sammy Watson, and Athing Mu, who all have different coaches. But I don't think Nia would like having Jebreh Harris or Bobby Kersee as her coach.

Strange one all round. She's high profile for Brooks and you'd think they'd want to keep the second best 800 runner in the US. But who's going to pay her more than Brooks? Nike have the best three 800 runners in the world so won't offer Akins a good deal. Adidas or On?

i have no clue about life as a professional runner, but re Nia unfollowing her teammates, I can kinda get that from a personal perspective.

If I part ways with an employer, I pretty much don’t want to be reminded of how life at the company just goes on without me. They are having Pizza Friday, and my former co-workers are getting divorced, or getting married, or their kids are having a graduation party, or they are losing weight or going bald.

And the last thing I want to do, is be in the loop, while I go through a difficult period scrambling for a replacement job.

So it seems plausible that Akins doesn’t resent her former teammates, but maybe just that not getting renewed was painful or difficult, and that making a clean break would be smart and help her look forward in life.

I am curious — someone in Akins’ position — I picture that it is not a home run that some other sponsor will pick her up. Does that sound about right? I mean, Olympics or no, is it possible that getting non-renewed with brooks, just means that you “decide” to retire if nothing decent comes along?

Nia just won the Olympic Trials. Of course she is good enough for another company to sponsor her.

Could it be that she's retiring from pro running altogether? Her latest post is about her music. She seems really into that, she's accomplished a lot as a runner, and as a mid-D female runner, she may be past her peak. I sure hope to see her continue to compete, but seems like a possibility.

Because OP is Nia. Trying to get a contract.

I hate to break it for her, but it won't happen.

Nia brings nothing to the table. No results, (couldn't even make the Olympic Final) no charisma, no followers, no talent...

She's a jesus freak as well, people can't stand this bs anymore - they like Syd and Cole DESPITE their religion.

The only reason she won the trials: Mu was tripped.

Mu is the only good 800m runner from the US.

If she was retiring from running she wouldn't all of a sudden delete every social media post about Brooks Beasts and unfollow all her teammates.

I think it was just some kind of contract dispute and they decided to go separate ways.

wouldn't her contract go through the end of the year? or would it really end at the Olympic games?

I don't remember any other athletes switching companies in middle of year even if just after Olympics

You're clueless. Nia Akins also won the indoor and outdoor USA Championships last year and made it to the final of the World Championships.

Then she finished 3rd indoors this year and won the Olympic Trials.

She also has the fastest 800 time this year of any US woman.

So stop posting stupid things.

If not even BROOKS wants you anymore, where do you even go to?

Is there anywhere to go for someone who is dropped by brooks?

I guess she can run trails with NNormal....

No one said that Brooks dropped her. They just couldn't come to an agreement. Stop making things up.

The reality dawned on brooks and Mia that being a us trials champion, thanks to the fav falling, is completely different to being an elite, world class athlete.