How are track stars feeling so much "pressure" from media and fans. There's like 1,000 of us at most...

Just to clarify what you wrote, because they are two separate things.

Athing Mu decided at the beginning of the year that this was going to be essentially an "off" year so that she could get used to a new coach in a new city and get fresh and ready for 2024. That's why she started training later than usual for this year, and why she ran her first race so late.

The whole "Athing Mu might go on vacation and skip the world Championships" idea was totally unrelated to this being an "off" year for her. The potential skipping of the World Championships only came about recently because she and her boyfriend broke up a month or so ago, and she was really upset about that.

Most pros never go to LetsRun.com and so they have no idea what we are talking about on these message boards.

You are somewhat correct. I know one of the top athletes in college who graduated last year and they decided not to go pro for the exact reasons you mentioned in your post.

However, when it comes to someone like Athing Mu, she makes waaaay more money than an average pro makes, and Nike isn't going to cut her contract if she gets injured or has a few bad races. So Athing Mu has a lot less pressure on her than a low level pro who is barely making ends meet.

What McRunnin and MissingPoint said.
I would add that, for some, there is a point where “achievement” becomes “expectation” — and that expectation is relentless and gets heavier with each event, particularly when one is that talented and been that successful. Meanwhile, ‘life happens’ — in this case many of the things that happen in the life of a 19-21yo in the transition to adulthood and all of the responsibilities and complexities that come with growing into adulthood. A bit different context but not unlike Roisin Willis at Stanford.

If she has the right voices around her, she will weather the storm and come out of this stronger.

The sad reality is that nobody really cares apart from the hardcore fans, and 99% of the viewers could not even tell you who won yesterday's 800m race 24 hours later.

So just enjoy the ride.

Yeah no doubt, and I would put her in the category of "the very very very best" that I mentioned. I'm sure she is getting a fat check and with big checks come big expectations.

They feel the pressure because they read this website. If you're a pro and you want fan opinion, this is where you're going to go. Here and social media. They won't admit it, but they're here, reading.

Pressure from who?

People who i think give pressure/stress to her:

1. Perhaps at most, a couple dozen people on letsrun who are anonymous and if they met MU in person would probably trip over themselves

2. Her sponsors, however she's a golden goose with a gold medal so I can't think they are too hard on her.

3. Kersee

4. Herself

She can control 4.

Are 1,2,3 really that tough to deal with?

Her fans on Instagram and Twitter all love her.

Being a track athlete has the be the LEAST amount of pressure of any major sport. Try playing in the nfl or nba.

I agree and made a thread about it. LRC is granular and specifically targets track people. FB and Insta are just accounts created by individuals and are scattered throughout the world. Which makes me wonder why the jo's let this nonsense on here when they have the opportunity to create something that will attract true fans and not the jamins and stevetheaddicts. And I think the pros are starting to see that on here.

I'd just like her to show up to meets like every other athlete. I don't think that's unreasonable...

Not to mention that 49.57 is literally 1/100th off being in the top 10 all-time for US women. Its honestly baffling that Kersee would have her messing around in the 1500. She's much more suited to being a 400/800 runner.

Anyone who thinks Mu wouldn't be a medal threat in the 400 doesn't know what they're talking about

Anyone who thinks she's medal threat in the 1500 probably also doesn't know what they're talking about

Agreed 1000%. She's incredible 400 runner. Her Olympic relay split was incredible.

She should focus on 400 and 800. I even 400 could be her best event.

twisties is similiar to vertigo. It has nothing to do with pressure. Biles just destroyed everyone at the.US championships.She could have fallen 3 times and still won.

I agree with that, but it seemed like she enjoyed track before she went to Bobby Kersee, a move greatly criticized here.

If she wants to get back to Olympic champion, she should leave Bobby Kersee. If she wants to enjoy the sport more, perhaps that's another reason to leave Bobby Kersee.

I don't think that Bobby Kersee would have switched Athing Mu from a 400/800 runner to a 800/1500 runner if he wasn't coaching Sydney.

First, I stand by my username. NBC's production had a 2-3 second audio lag, which makes sprints hard to watch and the programing was inundated with ads, including 3 ad breaks, each 2-3 minutes long, in the middle of the 10k finals. Also, the commentary, except for Kara Goucher, was shallow and lacked any insight into the dynamics of the racing. Finally, NBC tried to make the games a reality show and added interviews and feature stories that they decided were more important that the actual racing or field events. All in all, NBC severely degrades the viewing experience and contributes to low viewership.

Second, her hobbies are her own business. she does not need to justify not loving track with every cell in her body. I do agree that tactically she is not the most clever, but normally she is physically sharp and fit enough that less then perfect tactics are not an issue. I think that she just did not view this year as super important, so her top fitness was not what it has been in past years.

I'm not mad at her for having other hobbies, or wanting to be a model, nor do I think it's anyone's decision except hers.

Still, I feel bad complaining about my job because it's way better than the retail job I worked in high school. After getting back from working 8-5 today, it's almost unfathomable that someone could complain about a 7-figure job with flexible hours and a flexible location, where you get paid extra to travel to some of the most beautiful places in the world. And all you have to do for your job is run. Like bro, I'd be on that Stewy McSweyn schedule racing in like a dozen countries every summer.

If she's so weighed down by the pressure on her that she feels like she can't race, she needs to see a medical professional of some kind. I hope for her healthy recovery, and prosperity in whatever she pursues.

If she doesn't need to see a doctor about it, then she just needs to get over it and do her job. Can you imagine working on a project for 6 months, then telling your boss that you're gonna skip the presentation to your client (and also throw away all of your work) because you feel pressure to perform well?

If you’ve never been an NCAA, USA, Olympic AND World champion, all by the age of 20, think it might be hard to understand the pressure and mental hardships is must take to be expected to perform at your best year in and out. GRANTED, I love to see track athletes that are fearless and want to compete for their love and passion of the sport. Mind you that the year Mu won the Olympics was after a longgggg collegiate season. I was first a little disappointed that she might not race at this years Worlds, mostly due to the fact she had just ran a massive 1500 PB so I assumed coming down to the 800, she would be ready to roll. But now taking into consideration that she was been performing at such a high level for so long (including he youth and high school successes), I can understand the mental and perhaps physical burnout she must feel. Remember Worlds has never been on consecutive years. With the Olympics sandwiching they, she has to endure 4 consecutive years of championship training and preparation. Of course this is the case for many of the other stand out track athletes. But how many other current Olympic/World champs won at 19 years of age and has had to endure another 3 consecutive years of global championship meets?

Lol it’s been that way since jump street around here. Back in college during the mid 2000s our coach told us to stay off LetsRun so naturally it just made us more likely to browse the message boards. You could pick any year in the websites history and find a post stating exactly what you said. Why should the BroJos change much when it’s been a very successful endeavor?