Olympic gold medalist Athing Mu is the heavy favorite in the women’s 800 meters this weekend. Photo by Chloe Montague
Athing Mu hoped that the 2022 Prefontaine Classic would be a chance to break the national record she had set in the 800 meters at the 2021 meet.
However, that opportunity never came to fruition. Mu, the gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, tested positive for COVID-19 a week before the meet and was forced to drop out.
“When I saw the race and just watched the results, of course, I wanted to be there because holding another title is super awesome to have,” Mu said. “But at the same time, I realized this is not going to be the last Prefontaine. So, I just stuck it out and I accepted that it wasn’t going to happen and that it was what it was.”
Mu quickly shifted her focus to her next opportunity to win an 800-meter race at Hayward Field.
The USATF outdoor nationals, happening Thursday through Sunday at Hayward Field Thursday. The top three finishers in each event will qualify for the World Athletics Championships, also at Hayward Field, next month.
In order to prepare for USAs, Mu needed to recover from COVID-19 and build up her strength again.
The first step in her preparation was competing at the 2022 Golden Gala in Rome. Mu won the 800 in 1:57.01.
“I feel like that was definitely a confidence booster that my coach and I wanted to put out there because I hadn’t been competing and I had gotten COVID,” Mu said. “I wasn’t literally questioning my abilities, but it was just nice to go out there and get into a competitive race and get out with the win. It made me feel way better in the end.”
Mu will compete Thursday in the first round of the 800 meters where the top three finishers from each heat and the next four fastest runners will advance to the semi-final round. Then top three finishers, plus the next two fastest times will advance to the final.
The top three finishers in the final will earn a spot on the US team for the World Athletics Championships.
