Nike withdrew its offer to sponsor a top American pole-vaulter this week after he placed tape over the company’s swoosh logo on his shoes during a recent competition.

The pole-vaulter, Brad Walker, who holds the United States record in the event, said he was not taking a swipe at Nike but was making sure that a Velcro strap stayed tight, an adjustment he said he had frequently made in the past.

Nike, however, took umbrage at his decision, he said.

“Big no no,” Walker wrote in a Facebook post Thursday. “I am no longer a Nike athlete because while trying to use one of their products, I had to use tape to hold together a shoe that shouldn’t break down within 6 months.”

Walker had been negotiating a sponsorship contract with Nike for some time, but he said he was not satisfied with the size of the offer.