Nike Oregon Project assistant coach Pete Julian stood in the mixed zone among a sea of reporters on Tuesday night in Doha, Qatar, alternating between staring down at his phone and mingling with an occasional familiar face.

A face caught Julian’s eye, a woman who approached him for a hug. When the pair ended their embrace, the coach offered her a quick reassurance.

“We’ll be good, don’t worry,” Julian said.

It had surely been a long day for the 48-year-old. Some 24 hours earlier, he had suddenly become the man in charge of the Oregon Project when group founder and head coach Alberto Salazar was given a four-year ban for anti-doping violations uncovered in a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency investigation. On Tuesday, Salazar’s credentials were pulled by the IAAF at USATF’s request.

A 134-page report released by the American Arbitration Association on Monday detailed the charges levied against Salazar, charges that Salazar continues to refute. In a statement, he said he was “shocked by the outcome” of the investigation. The 61-year-old will appeal the ruling.

In between typing on his phone and exchanging brief pleasantries, Julian turned his head to glance down the media room’s corridor. He was waiting to greet Donavan Brazier, Julian’s star pupil who had just delivered him his first world title as a coach and a 1:42.34 American record.

Suddenly, Brazier appeared. Julian jostled his way through the crowd with a smile spread across his face and secured his athlete in a bear hug. Together they celebrated a race that went exactly to plan.

Less than an hour earlier, Brazier had become America’s fastest 800m runner and first world champion with a dominant performance at Khalifa International Stadium. He did it with a strategy orchestrated with Julian beforehand—to launch a relentless attack at 300m to go to suffocate the field.

AMERICAN RECORD AND AMERICA’S FIRST 800M WORLD CHAMPION! https://t.co/GXBIN6uDNM

— FloTrack (@FloTrack) October 1, 2019

“That was the plan the entire time,” Brazier said. “Pete told me and I’ve been listening to him all year. Everything he’s told me has been working out. I knew I had to trust him, and with 250m to go there was no looking back.”

The U.S. champ executed to perfection with the help of Puerto Rico’s Wesley Vázquez, who, after running 1:43 in the semifinal, once again shot out at an eager pace. Crossing 400m in 48.99, Vazquez had put five meters on all but Brazier, who was waiting to pounce at the first sign of weakness.

“Once he lagged a little bit with 300m to go, I just made a move and there was no looking back,” said Brazier.

The time places Brazier ahead of Johnny Gray, who held the U.S. mark for 34 years, while also resetting the championship record. His 1.13-second margin of victory over silver medalist Amel Tuka was the largest in event history.

Across the line, Brazier thrust his arms in the air before collecting an American flag to drape over his shoulders. The same man whose questionable tactics had blemished his talent over previous seasons had just produced the most masterful 800m performance at the world championships two years after going out in the semifinals in London.

"I finally got the monkey off my back," Brazier said after Sunday's semifinal in Doha. "I missed two world finals, 2017 outdoors and 2018 indoors. Happy to finally get there."

The historic night was a joyous occasion for Brazier, whose breakout season hit a crescendo in Doha. But the awkward timing of the Salazar news breaking the night before forced Brazier to field questions about his choice to join the Oregon Project and his association with Salazar in the midst of celebrating the biggest accomplishment of his career. 

“I didn’t actually know that the investigation was going on,” said Brazier. Asked if the news distracted him before the race, he replied, “Not at all. He’s not my coach. I’m coached by Pete Julian.”

Of course, Julian manages all of Brazier’s training as well as fellow Doha participants Craig Engels, Konstanze Klosterhalfen, and Jessica Hull. Like the others, Brazier joined the group after allegations against Salazar and NOP were published in 2015 and charges were filed by USADA in 2017.

Salazar and Julian’s training groups are separate, with minimal contact between each according to Brazier.

“I think I found out like everybody else. I heard about the news this morning that he had been charged.”  

As strange as that sounds, Brazier’s position only tangentially associates him with Salazar. Julian has been an assistant with the Oregon Project since 2012, but he was not part of the USADA investigation, nor were any of his athletes.

“It really doesn’t affect me that much,” said Brazier. “I’m coached by Pete Julian. The ban on Alberto I think is very disappointing because at the end of the day he’s the founder of the Oregon Project.”

Still, Brazier clearly recognizes the gravity of his group’s leader being forbidden from coaching for four years. He said he will stay with the group going forward “if Pete takes control.”

Brazier wasn’t the only Nike Oregon Project member in Tuesday’s race. Clayton Murphy, who is coached by Salazar, found himself facing similar questions to Brazier after a rough performance on the track where he finished last in the eight-man final in 1:47.84.

Like Brazer, Murphy wasn’t around when allegations were first made public against Salazar and the group in 2015.

“Everything that happened with Alberto, all the allegations and everything that went down happened before I was in the camp,” Murphy said. “Never had any kind of pressure from Alberto, never took anything, never was asked to do anything while I was in the camp. I’ve always competed clean. NOP’s always been clean when I’ve been in the group.”

Murphy said he was focused on the race and had not had time to think about his future within the group.

“Obviously I didn’t have the performance I wanted but I’ve completely isolated myself,” he said. “I had no social media on the day. It was weird today to open the folder and not see social media on my phone, but I completely isolated myself when I woke up.”

While Brazier and Murphy were forced to speak on the group’s behalf, Salazar was nowhere to be seen in Doha. Stripped of his credential and therefore unable to fulfill his position as the face of the group, Salazar was absent when Brazier and Julian celebrated their victory.

Behind him, he’s left a shadow that has cast itself over the remaining days of these World Championships.