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Athing Mu will miss the 2024 Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday, May 25 due to a hamstring injury.
Her coach, Bobby Kersee feels that racing in Eugene is a risk not worth taking when the USATF Paris Olympic Trials are upcoming. The Trials are happening from June 21 – 30 at Hayward Field in Eugene.
Athing Mu Nursing Sore Hamstring, Will Not Run at Prefontaine Classic https://t.co/lINLwQCfns
— Runner's World (@runnersworld) May 23, 2024
“She’s a veteran, if she’s healthy, she can make the team. And so, if I injure her before, I’m gonna be called a fool; if I don’t race her before, I’m gonna get [criticism].
“So I have to do the math that’s going to put her on the team, and so whatever that math is between now and the 21st, that’s what I’m gonna do,” the coach said.
The 21-year-old American 800-metre specialist won gold during the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games. She followed up that win with a gold medal during the 2022 Eugene World Athletics Championships. However, was finally bettered by both Hodgkinson and Moraa at the 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships.
Mu owns a best of 1:54.97, which she set during the Prefontaine Classic last year. It is the American record.
Hodgkinson, who holds the British 800m record at 1:55.19, took silver at the Tokyo Olympics and twice more at the Eugene and Budapest World Championships. Moraa took bronze in Eugene and gold in Budapest. She is currently the world-ranked number one athlete over the two-lap distance event. Her best is 1:56.03.
