Athing Mu’s attempt to repeat as Olympic champion in the women’s 800 meters ended Monday night in the most devastating way possible.
A stunning crash midway through the first lap of the two-lap race left Mu too far behind to regain contact with the rest of the riders.
Mu was running in the third lane from the rail when she turned inside in front of fellow Olympian Raevyn Rogers. The two runners seemed to become entangled, Rogers stumbled without losing his balance and Mu fell to the ground.
Three years after her radiant smile and unparalleled speed made her one of the faces of the Tokyo Olympics, Mu crossed the Hayward Field finish line in tears Monday night. Her time of 2:19.69 was more than 20 seconds slower than winner Nia Akins or her fellow Paris qualifiers Allie Wilson and Juliette Whittaker.
Had Mu not fallen, it’s hard to imagine the 22-year-old not winning the race, let alone failing to make the top three. This is a woman who has been one of the brightest stars in American athletics since before she was legally old enough to order a glass of wine in a restaurant.
Mu broke NCAA records at Texas A&M, capturing Olympic gold in the 800 and 4×400-meter relay in 2021 and validating it with a victory on American soil at the World Championships the following year. He had barely lost a race in his entire career until he settled for bronze at last year’s World Championships.