What do you think? I have a feeling we will never see her compete again.
I remember Boris Berrian. All about his $100k a year contract. Makes the Olympic final and becomes a huge bust. I am sure New Balance was happy to get rid of him and send him back to his McDonald's a career! I mean I think I have gone for a long run that lasted longer then that guys career!
I'm going to have to downvote your post as you don't know then simple difference between than and then.
She should do whatever makes her happy and my observation is that it is not being a pro runner. Hope she finds happiness and good fortune. She had a great, brief time in track, reaching Olympic Gold. Nothing left to prove.
That sounds nice in theory, but I think it ignores the realities of life. The fact is, if she gives up on track, she still has to make a living - I'm pretty confident she hasn't made the kind of money yet that she can just retire completely.
So she doesn't "like" running? Maybe that's true; I don't know. If it is true, you can hardly hold that against her. But many/most people don't like their jobs, and quickly realize that it's not as simple as just throwing up their hands and quitting.
Her job pays her well into 6 figures, I should think, even if she just does okay. She has the potential to make much more if she performs up to her capabilities. The alternative is to enter the working world, where making $100K/year would be doing really well. And the odds are good that she'll hate that job, too. In short, even if she hates running, she's good at it and can get paid really well for it, so why not stick it out for a few years, save some money, enjoy traveling all over the world, and THEN find a regular job?
Athing Mu's running career will limp along until 2028. No point in her getting a regular job when she can get paid big bucks to half-ass a running career.
Athing is more talented than any of the other US women in the 800, so assuming she isn't injured she still should be able to finish top 3 at USA's and make teams even if she isn't totally committed to the sport.
Perhaps she should work on her modeling career as well as T&F. Only a select few T&F athletes make big $$ in the sport and there aren't that many of them. Her modeling career could possibly be more lucrative.
2021 - 36 races, Olympic Trials winner, 2x Olympic gold (800m, 4x400), fastest time in US for year
2022 - 15 races, USATF champion, World gold (800m), fastest time in US for year
2023 - 7 races, World bronze, Diamond League final win (American Record), fastest time in US for year
2024 - 4 races, 9th at Olympic Trials, 5th in Gainesville in 2:00.29 (first loss to an American at 800m in nearly 4-1/2 years - lost to Wiley, Baker, and Gehring), 9th fastest time in US for year
Perhaps she should work on her modeling career as well as T&F. Only a select few T&F athletes make big $ in the sport and there aren't that many of them. Her modeling career could possibly be more lucrative.
Whoever told her she has "model opportunities" deserves to be tarred and feathered. Thinking hard about modeling seems like it contributed to her lack of focus.
EC: 1 Keely Hodgkinson (GBR); 2 Athing Mu (USA); 3 Mary Moraa (KEN)
JH: 1 Keely Hodgkinson (GBR); 2 Athing Mu (USA); 3 Mary Moraa (KEN)
For the most part I would think that a sprint coach should coach sprinters and you would prefer a former distance runner to coach an 800 runner. There might be a few exceptions.
EC: 1 Keely Hodgkinson (GBR); 2 Athing Mu (USA); 3 Mary Moraa (KEN)
JH: 1 Keely Hodgkinson (GBR); 2 Athing Mu (USA); 3 Mary Moraa (KEN)
For the most part I would think that a sprint coach should coach sprinters and you would prefer a former distance runner to coach an 800 runner. There might be a few exceptions.
But saying she is done is a little like predicting which team would win the world series. You never can tell.
Good news: Athing Mu indicated recently that she intends to come back!
She shared a photo of her crying at the U.S. Olympic Trials on her Instagram Story, with the caption: "I'll try again next year" and a giggle emoji.
The giggle emoji is fascinating. I'm not sure how to interpret it. My guess is it signifies that she's 1) come to peace with what happened and 2) taking delight in thinking about destroying all her competitors when she returns. What do y'all make of it?
Athing Mu recently reacted to a glimpse of the nasty fall she endured during the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, held at the Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
It wasn't just the fall at the Trials. She made her "comeback" three weeks afterward in Gainesville and took a beating. She had absolutely nothing left coming into the final 100m. It was the first loss to an American in an 800m final since USATF Indoors in February 2020, and she lost to three Americans. I think there are at least five Americans who are better than her right now. She needs a sports psychologist as much as she needs a coach if you ask me.
And yes, I am well aware than I spelled trajectory wrong, but I can't change it now.
It wasn't just the fall at the Trials. She made her "comeback" three weeks afterward in Gainesville and took a beating. She had absolutely nothing left coming into the final 100m. It was the first loss to an American in an 800m final since USATF Indoors in February 2020, and she lost to three Americans. I think there are at least five Americans who are better than her right now. She needs a sports psychologist as much as she needs a coach if you ask me.
And yes, I am well aware than I spelled trajectory wrong, but I can't change it now.
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