"Winningest"? Nike should fire whoever was in charge of this post
Um, that’s a perfectly fine and appropriate word.
I’m glad that Mu’s declared her intention to contest this race. As far as expectations, all I’ll say is this: with her talent, it wouldn’t require an eccentric coaching genius to take her from 4:21 1500 shape to a 1:57 800 in 8 weeks. Let’s see if Kersee can manage to f_ck it up.
I think Mu's biggest challenge is determining how to race without contact so she can make it to finals in major races.
OK Hobbyman!
But have you forgotten ...or did you ever know:
She never lost a collegiate 800m race.
Before college, when she was in high school she never lost a race competing against high school athletes
From age 18 when she lost a race to Caster Semenya in the 800m WCs (but won the Bronze) until 2023 WCs she was undefeated.
Last time she raced Moraa and Hodkinson (Sept 23) she won.
Mu has beaten Hodgkinson 4 out of 5 times in their head to head races. (And Moraa beat Hodkinson and Mu in the one race Hodgkinson came out ahead of Mu.
Mu has a :49.57 400m and a 4:03.44 1500m. Moraa or Hodgkinson are nowhere close to these times in the 400 and each has never run a 1500
Moraa is 24 years old and hasn't broken 1:56 yet. Hodkinson is 23 and broke 1:55 at age 22. Mu is only 22 niw and broke 1:55 at age 20.
Mu tripped in a race exactly one time in her illustrious career.
From age 18 when she lost a race to Caster Semenya in the 800m WCs (but won the Bronze) until 2023 WCs she was undefeated.
Last time she raced Moraa and Hodkinson (Sept 23) she won.
Mu tripped in a race exactly one time in her illustrious career.
- Mu NEVER raced Semenya at 800m. Mu was not anywhere close to the WCs when she was 18; she took dead last in her heat at US Indoors. She was 19 when she made her first US senior team - the Tokyo Olympics.
- Last time she raced Ewoi, she lost. Last time she raced Wiley, she lost. Last time she raced Baker, she lost. Last time she raced Gearing, she lost.
- (1) Mu tripped (and took out Nia Akins) at the 2021 Olympic Trials, (2) tripped and nearly fell in the semifinals of the 2023 World Championships, and (3) tripped and fell at the 2024 Olympic Trials.
Honestly, I’ve been following Mu since the Olympics and every time she races, it’s like watching something special. I’m no expert or anything, just a fan who jogs sometimes lol, but she really does have that smooth stride that makes it look easy. Reminds me of old clips I saw of Ryun, though Mu’s got her own style. Seven weeks is a decent stretch—if she stays healthy and sharp, I wouldn’t bet against her peaking right on time. Just hope she doesn’t get too much pressure piled on.
Pre Classic Mutola 800m 💎 Mary Moraa (KEN) - World #1 Keely Hodgkinson (GBR) - World #2 Tsige Duguma (ETH) - World #3 Prudence Sekgodiso (RSA - World #4 Rénelle Lamote (FRA) - World #5 Shafiqua Maloney (VIN) - World #6 Jemma Reekie (GBR) - World #7 Halimah Nakaayi (UGA) - World #9 Anais Bourgoin (FRA) - World #18 Athing Mu (USA) - Unranked
World #9 withdraws and they replace her with #18? There are Americans at #10 Wiley, #12 Hurta, and #16 Whittaker and they go with #18? For obvious reasons, Whittaker can't run, but the other two have both been running very well this spring. Wiley just beat Bourgoin in Rabat.
It looks to me that Ol' Man Kersee is not going to allow any other Americans into the race. I'm sure he told the Pre organizers that if another American enters, Mu is out.
I know Rogers has had a great career with a WC silver and an Olympic bronze, but that was 5 years ago. She will be a crowd favorite as an Oregon alum, but she has no business being in this field. Since August 2023, she has run 11 800m races and has not broken 2:00 once and has only one race under 2:01. Two high school girls ran faster than her best over the past two years at the New Balance meet recently. Maybe she is retiring this year and they are giving her one last chance to run at Hayward. I would not be surprised to see the Americans finishing in the back.
Bests in 2025: Duguma 1:56.64 Sekgodiso 1:57.16 Bourgoin 1:57.81 Moraa 1:57.83 Maloney 1:58.00 Nakaayi 1:58.39 Mesele 1:58.40 Reekie 1:58.66 Rogers 2:00.45 Mu No time
Pre Classic Mutola 800m 💎 Mary Moraa (KEN) - World #1 Keely Hodgkinson (GBR) - World #2 Tsige Duguma (ETH) - World #3 Prudence Sekgodiso (RSA - World #4 Rénelle Lamote (FRA) - World #5 Shafiqua Maloney (VIN) - World #6 Jemma Reekie (GBR) - World #7 Halimah Nakaayi (UGA) - World #9 Anais Bourgoin (FRA) - World #18 Athing Mu (USA) - Unranked
World #9 withdraws and they replace her with #18? There are Americans at #10 Wiley, #12 Hurta, and #16 Whittaker and they go with #18? For obvious reasons, Whittaker can't run, but the other two have both been running very well this spring. Wiley just beat Bourgoin in Rabat.
It looks to me that Ol' Man Kersee is not going to allow any other Americans into the race. I'm sure he told the Pre organizers that if another American enters, Mu is out.
The other Americans you mention wear the wrong shoes for this field.
A lot of stock will be put into this Pre 800, but at the moment the worlds picture feels wide open to me.
Keely pulled out of her own indoor meet targeting the Indoor WR and hasn’t raced at all since Olympics, pulling out of Stockholm and now Pre. Supremely consistent runner but don’t know if she has the runway to get into top shape by worlds.
Moraa always a sporadic runner but she doesn’t seem to throw other runners off their game this season like she has in the past with her tactics(see Georgia Hunter Bell in Stockholm). Still wouldn’t be surprised to see her medal though.
Duguma to me looks in cracking form after her 1:56 this year and Olympic silver last year, but shes had some pretty bad races before (indoor worlds and beginning of last season). Still think she’s on the podium in some form.
Athing Mu is anyone’s guess, hard to go off a 4:10 1500 but obviously at her best she’ll factor. Whether we will see that at Pre who knows.
If Reekie can have her best race at the right time, she has the talent to make the podium (1:55 PB world #2 last year, 4th at Tokyo OLY, 5th 2023 worlds). Can’t lock up in the final 100 meters.
Sekgodiso incredible indoors and already 1:57 low could also take the step up.
And lastly, Georgia Hunter Bell seems to see the writing on the wall, and in a recent interview mentioned potentially doubling at worlds or even going solely for the 800. Scary proposition for the 800m women if so, as she has an incredible final 100 meters and already has defeated nearly everyone she’s raced head to head except Keely.
And lastly, Georgia Hunter Bell seems to see the writing on the wall, and in a recent interview mentioned potentially doubling at worlds or even going solely for the 800. Scary proposition for the 800m women if so, as she has an incredible final 100 meters and already has defeated nearly everyone she’s raced head to head except Keely.
To be fair, Hunter's most significant race this season was going into the European Indoors as the biggest favourite in the entire championship and flopping massively against a bunch of B-listers.
"Winningest"? Nike should fire whoever was in charge of this post
Um, that’s a perfectly fine and appropriate word.
I’m glad that Mu’s declared her intention to contest this race. As far as expectations, all I’ll say is this: with her talent, it wouldn’t require an eccentric coaching genius to take her from 4:21 1500 shape to a 1:57 800 in 8 weeks. Let’s see if Kersee can manage to f_ck it up.
And lastly, Georgia Hunter Bell seems to see the writing on the wall, and in a recent interview mentioned potentially doubling at worlds or even going solely for the 800. Scary proposition for the 800m women if so, as she has an incredible final 100 meters and already has defeated nearly everyone she’s raced head to head except Keely.
To be fair, Hunter's most significant race this season was going into the European Indoors as the biggest favourite in the entire championship and flopping massively against a bunch of B-listers.
Rough race there but let’s not act like she didn’t medal at world indoors and a couple weeks ago win the Stockholm 800 over Moraa and others….