© Copyright – 2024 – Athletics Illustrated
The athletics world was surprised when reigning Olympic champion Athing Mu of the US tripped, fell and strode to the finish dead last during the US Paris Olympic Games Trails on June 24. The US Trials is a sometimes cruel and unforgiving event. She left in tears. There will be a new 800-metre Olympic champion in a few weeks.
Coach Bobby Kersee appealed to the USATF. He claimed she was interfered with, but the case was turned down due to video showing no contact had taken place.
Mu may race again…
Mu has picked herself up and may race the Holloway Pro Classic in Gainesville, Florida on Friday, July 19. For an athlete who does not race often and less now as her current coach Bobby Kersee limits racing, this is welcome news, and great to see, if it is true.
The 22-year-old will look to perform well at the University of Florida. She would like to put the fall at Hayward Field behind her. Perhaps the best thing for her to do is to race well under the Olympic standard of 1:59.30 multiple times to demonstrate to the USATF that the Trials system, in her opinion (and or Kersee’s), needs to be adjusted. To add weight, Mu should sharpen up and put up numbers faster than any of the Paris Olympic results. Several Diamond League events await — a perfect opportunity.
Hard to watch what happened to Athing Mu without thinking of last year's World semi-final – the warning shot about running in the pack.
— Cathal Dennehy (@Cathal_Dennehy) June 25, 2024
With her long, raking stride, this was going to happen sooner or later. Horrible timing – for her and Sage Hurta-Klecker – to occur when it did pic.twitter.com/w0bxc7yuYl
Mu is not only the defending Olympic champion, she holds the national record of 1:54.97 which she set in a global championships at the 2023 Eugene World Athletics Championships. This is an important distinction because often championship races do not always produce the fastest times. Mu delivered at the Tokyo Olympic Games and followed that up with another gold in Eugene. The most recent athlete to run faster than Mu’s best was Caster Semenya. Prior to that, it has been decades. She is currently the fastest of this era. Mu’s best is the 14th fastest time ever, some of the performances above her are questionable, including three from Russia.
The 22-year-old will be age 26 for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games and 30 for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games. She is still young, however, missing Paris, is gut-wrenching.
Annual bests
Annual bests by year, time, age, and location.
2019 | 2:01.17 | 17 | Drake Stadium |
2020 | 2:04.08 | 18 | JDL Fast Track, Winston Salem |
2021 | 1:55.04 | 19 | Hayward Field, Eugene, OR |
2022 | 1:56.30 | 20 | Hayward Field, Eugene, OR |
2023 | 1:54.97 PB, NR | 21 | Hayward Field, Eugene, OR |
2024 | 1:58.84 | 22 | Hayward Field, Eugene, OR |
In the global athletics community, the opinion seems to be divided among those who feel that the US Olympic Trials needs to be revamped or kept as is. Many feel that the event should not be the final arbiter on the fate of athletes. The argument is that the Trials often leave athletes out of the global championships when he or she simply had one bad day. Months of racing and years of training are left on the table for naught.
Mu’s problem is about race readiness. She rarely races. Therefore it is assumed that she is not necessarily sharp on race day. And is perhaps ill-prepared for the jostling that goes on in the midst of an 800m race. What else does the USATF have to go with?
By comparison, fellow Kersee-coached athlete Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone also rarely races. However, when she runs the 400mH or 400m flat, competitors must stay in their lane throughout. There is no crowding or jostling in the sprints.
Some Americans love the “do or die,” approach to the current format of the Trials. The idea is if you want to perform at the Olympics, demonstrate your championship ability at selection, at the Trials.
Either the Trials system needs to be revamped or the Kersee and Mu team needs to put up a schedule of racing before a Trials. This is so she is well-prepared for the movement, jostling, elbows and heels that come up in lane one where all the athletes are running.
Results
POS | NAME | MARK |
---|---|---|
1 | Nia Akins | 1:57.36 PB |
2 | Allie Wilson | 1:58.32 SB |
3 | Juliette Whittaker | 1:58.45 PB |
4 | Michaela Rose | 1:59.32 |
5 | Sage Hurta-Klecker | 2:00.38 |
6 | Kristie Schoffield | 2:01.04 |
7 | Raevyn Rogers | 2:01.12 |
8 | Kate Grace | 2:02.37 |
9 | Athing Mu | 2:19.69 |