Fans are curious about what happened to Athing Mu at the Olympic trials. Mu, the 800-meter gold medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Games, will unfortunately miss the chance to defend her title in Paris this year. Mu suffered from a hapless fall during the trials, which ultimately put a huge dent in her Olympic hopes. But what really happened to her during the Olympic trials?
Here are all the available details regarding the athlete’s recent, unforced mishap.
How did Athing Mu fall during the Olympic trials?
According to ESPN, a few steps into her race, Athing Mu tripped and fell on the outside track, causing her position to take a tumble as well.
The young sprinter ultimately finished last and subsequently fell out of contention for a place in the 800-meter race at the 2024 Olympics. Having dealt with injuries all season, Mu was expected to make a comeback with the Olympic trials. She fared well in the first two rounds and rallied forward to make her mark in the final leg.
The 22-year-old national champion began the race well and progressed steadily towards qualification. As it happened, Athing Mu attempted to veer to her left around the 200-meter mark and eventually lost her balance. Her fall cost Mu her position, and she concluded the race in last place. Nia Akins reigned supreme with an impressive timing of 1 minute and 57.36 seconds. Meanwhile, Allie Wilson and Juliette Whittaker finished the bout as runner-up and second runner-up, respectively.
According to another report by ESPN, Athing Mu’s coach, Bobby Kersee, claimed that the sprinter was clipped by another contestant and filed an appeal over what happened to her. However, the protest was eventually denied by USA Track and Field officials after an extensive review of the footage. Kersee also acknowledged the unforgiving nature of the US trials which only allow the top-three finishers to compete in the Olympics, despite their historical record.
Consequently, Mu is effectively out of the race to represent her country in the 800-meter event at the Paris Olympics. Nevertheless, she can still travel to France as part of the USA’s relay pool. The seasoned runner was famously part of the team that notched gold in the 4×400-meter relay at the Tokyo Olympics.
