If you look up “American Dream” in the dictionary, they should have a footnote that just reads “Boris Berian.”
The 24-year-old runner who hails from Colorado Springs, Colorado, was a national champion in 2016, but had to bow out because of poor grades.
He then worked at McDonald’s inside of a Walmart to make ends meet, and would soon be approached by another coach, who believed in him and got him all the way to the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio, competing for Team USA. Despite competing on a partially torn Achilles there, he made the 800-meter finals, only to finish eighth.
Watch his incredible story from Vice Sports above.
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