Gabe Grunewald, who had previously been diagnosed with cancer, won the race by several seconds to take her first national title.
A clash between Grunewald and Jordan Hasay (the fourth placer) in the final lap was originally disregarded by the judges.
Alberto Salazar, the coach of Hasay and runner-up Shannon Rowbury, filed a protest which was overruled by the track referee, then a subsequent appeal of that decision was again dismissed.
This provoked severe criticism from present athletes and coaches, as well as track and field journalists and fans on social media.
[6] The affair generated negative publicity for both USATF and Nike, a company whose sponsorship accounted for nearly half the governing body's budget in 2012.