Mu, a two-time global gold medalist, edged by Kenya’s Moraa and Hodgkinson of Great Britain in pursuit of title repeat; Only distance or middle-distance podium for U.S. in Budapest

By David Woods for DyeStat

Photo by Getty Images

PHOTOS by Kim Spir | INTERVIEWS

BUDAPEST, Hungary – Athing Mu sounded more like a woman getting out on parole than climbing onto another global podium.

Nearly everything she does in track and field is consequential. Even though she was third in the 800 meters Sunday at the World Athletics Championships, after two global golds, she is still the only American medalist at the nine-day meet in a race longer than a 400.

“I fought really hard to get my groove going and just to really resonate with the fact I am competing at Worlds,” Mu said. “It was more like, ‘Geez, it’s been a long week and a half, I’m ready to go home,’ more than, ‘I’m so ready to compete.’ It’s just been a different experience.”

Her race strategy was no different. Mu led through a first 400 of 56.01, and retained that lead until 60 meters remained.

Kenya’s Mary Moraa overtook her to take gold in 1:56.03, a PB and fastest time of 2023. She leaped past the finish in celebration.

Because Mu ran on the outside of lane 1, she left room for Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson to slip past on the rail for silver in 1:56.34.

Mu, in 1:56.61, led a 3-4-6 finish by Americans. Raevyn Rogers, after Olympic bronze in 2021 and World silver in 2022, was fourth in 1:57.45. Nia Akins clocked a PB of 1:57.73.

Mu was knocked off stride in Friday’s semifinal and didn’t want to risk a repeat of that.

“I think that’s the reason it went out so fast,” she said. “But nothing that was outside my capabilities.”

There was no certainty she would race here at all. Her coach, Bob Kersee, announced it was indefinite whether Mu would travel to Budapest, even though she was defending World champion. She said Kersee was trying to remove pressure.

Mu, a native of Trenton, N.J., and daughter of South Sudanese immigrants, acknowledged she feels a burden of expectation. She summarized her life and career as “a lot.” It is.

She set a World Under-20 record in the indoor 600 meters at age 16, starting a resume that looks like it belongs to a veteran runner. She is 21.

She won Olympic gold medals in the 800 and 4x400 relay at 19, and is the youngest woman ever to hold Olympic and world titles in an individual track event.  Until Friday’s semifinals, she had been 21-0 in 800-meter races over the past three years.

“I feel like I was definitely fighting to find the excitement this go-around,” Mu said. “Even last year, I was running with a messed-up hip. Being that I just won the Olympics the year before, I’m like, ‘Oh God, I have to win.’ I want to win. Also, the world expects me to win as well.

“I think this year, I’ve just been more mellow. I’ve felt pretty satisfied with where I was at.”

She said she has gone without a break, transitioning from high school, to college, to pros, relocating to Los Angeles, joining a new training group, getting a new coach in Kersee. A “lot to handle,” she said.

Leaders in the sport have acknowledged there is peril in having global championships in so many successive seasons: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025. Then come 2027, 2028, 2029.

“Every year is not going to be the same,” Mu said. “I feel like that’s one thing the track world kind of expects sometimes.”

Coming to this World Championships, she said, she knew the track world would be talking about her. She said she went off social media three weeks ago in attempt to enjoy her time here.

That helped. Now that she’s done, she’s also done with this season.

“I’m just happy my race is over and that I get to leave Budapest tomorrow and go home, and finally go on vacation,” Mu said.

Contact David Woods at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007