Is Athing Mu update?

No of course he's not the only factor - multiple things can be true at once. A concept that a fine Englishmen like yourself would understand, but one that doesn't seem to exist here in the US.

Was Athing Mu ever cut-out to be a professional track athlete beyond the physical attributes required to be a very good one? From what we've seen that's highly debatable. And given the above possibility, was a mercurial and at times oddball personality like Bobby Kersee the right guy to try and nurture and support her in that journey? Also highly debatable.

A really basic example is how Kersees athletes always warmup at south Eugene HS for any meet at Hayward, and get driven in just before they need to be at the call-room. On the surface that would seem like an "odd" and controlling scenario for someone who seems like away from track, is a friendly and bubbly personality like Mu. It was an oil and water situation.

What does surprise me is how Nike SPOMA didn't really recognize this early on and step in with respect to their investment. At close to a million bucks a year now (and probably through until 2028), the return on their investment has been basically zero after Pre in 2023 when she ran the US record. That's a big write-off, amazing how some people keep their jobs tbh.

Mu turned pro in June 2021. After turning pro, she broke the US Olympic Trials record in the women's 800m and gave great media interviews. She then went to Tokyo, where she won gold in her individual event and chipped in with a 48.32 anchor leg for Team USA's winning 4x400m relay. After Tokyo, she traveled back to Eugene and fulfilled her obligation to Nike by running in the Prefontaine Classic and winning her race with a new American record. Then she made a public appearance in her hometown.

So, in just a few months of being a professional, Mu demonstrated the ability to:

• perform under pressure
• give great interviews
• be a team player for her country
• travel long distances
• make her sponsor happy
• engage fans

I think that's checking all the major boxes for being a professional track athlete beyond physical attributes.

The following year, Mu had an active competition schedule, racing in New York, Tempe, Austin, Philadelphia, Ponce, Rome, and Eugene. She won a Diamond League race, successfully defended her US title, then won World Championship gold while managing an injury to back up her Olympic victory.

That's plenty of evidence of Mu being cut out to be a professional track athlete.

The biggest challenge Mu faced was handling the expectations (both external and internal) of being an Olympic Champion at such a young age. She was expected to dominate and run blazing fast times, knowing that she would get skewered if she didn't. As they say, heavy is the head that wears the crown.

When people recount Mu's career on this board, one thing that often gets overlooked is how much change she navigated in such a short time at such a young age. Consider:

• spring 2020: covid disrupts her senior year of high school, and she missed out on major milestones such as prom and graduation. There's a lot of research that's been done on the adverse consequences covid disruptions had on the mental health of the class of 2020. Also remember that she did AAU track as a kid and didn't run for her high school track team. She missed out on a lot of normal things that high school kids usually get to enjoy.
• summer 2020: moves from New Jersey to Texas and starts freshman year at Texas A&M
• summer 2021: turns pro
• fall 2022: moves to LA to be coached by Kersee
• summer 2023 (est): breakup with Brandon Miller

That's a lot of transition for someone who only turned 21 in the summer of 2023. Normal college students would only be between their junior and senior years at that point!

Then she has the hamstring injury, the disaster at the 2024 Olympic Trials, etc. It was a lot. If we look at the full context of everything she's been through, it's no wonder why she'd want to take a break from the sport.

Still hoping she comes back better than ever to complete the arc of her track journey.

So she had a very high paying low hours job for 3 years which she fullfilled then couldn't do it any more? Really? Tell that story to any other worker and see what they think. So she chooses to go to a dubious at best coach. She chooses to move. She chooses to do modelling instead/in lieu/parallel to running. Come on. So my take, when thing were easy all good. When things got hard gave up. That is why many fans treat her with disrespect despite her obvious acheivments. Most runners would literally kill for her talents because no matter how much they trained or doped would never be as good given the genetic gifts she was given.

What a good journalist track her down and ask for an interview?

I get what you're saying, and I agree that she's not without fault. Choosing Kersee as her coach was a terrible decision that many of us questioned at the time it was announced. But she was only 20. How many people have a spotless record of decision-making at age 20?

She could also do a *much* better job of keeping fans updated on her status. I hate that we have these monthly threads wondering about what she's doing, dissecting her career, and speculating about her future. If she filled us in from time to time, it would make being a fan of hers so much easier.

I just don't think it's that simple to compare her to other workers. Most other workers don't have their worst moments on the job occur in front of others in a stadium. If an average person has such an awful experience at work that they are reduced to tears, they probably cry in private behind closed doors. Counting live spectators, live television viewers, and social media videos, Mu's worst moment was viewed by over a million people.

I also think the modeling stuff was overblown. As you mention, track is a low-hours job. Many professional athletes have other hobbies or commitments, ranging from making music to taking classes or even raising children (much more demanding than occasional modeling).

Yes, many of us wish we had gold-medal and record-breaking talent, but it's easy to say that without knowing what it's really like to live the life she's had as a track phenom since she was a young girl, with all the ups and downs she's experienced. Covid lockdown languishing, post-Olympic blues/Olympic Champion pressure, burnout, heartbreak, injury, trauma, and anxiety make for a rather challenging bundle for a young adult. Rather than treating her with disrespect, how about a modicum of empathy?

Mu isn't the first championship-winning professional athlete to struggle with mental health. Michael Phelps, Simone Biles, and others have struggled too. They took breaks from their sport, got help, then showed resilience by returning to the top. Maybe Mu can do the same.

So just saw the dog in Mu's IG stories - it's well and alive. Athing just stopped posting about him. Her posting in general has become incredibly scarce, which is a sign of being fed up with social media. Maybe even being mad at your fans / followers?

So you truly believe that we are going to see Athing Mu, better than ever this season now her personal life is settled, the hamstring injury is cleared up and she's away from Bobby Kersee.

All of this was just needing to take a break from the sport.

ok.

Doing something or showing competency at something for a limited period of time is not proof of the capability to handle it over a long period of time which is what a career is.

You might consider that she has already done track at a high level for a long time. Her World Athletics profile has results going back to 2015, when she won the 800m at the AAU U14 Junior Olympics. She broke the American indoor record in the 600m when she was only 16. She said the many years she's been in the sport was a reason she's been battling burnout and wanting a break from it.

Looking ahead, I don't anticipate she will race this season. This is an off year, so I think it's more likely she spends this year completely away from the sport and then comes back next year.

Given the age of her husband, she and he might decide to try to have a baby this year like other female athletes have been doing. If they do, I think it could help her career immensely. A baby could potentially lower her anxiety about racing by putting the sport in proper perspective and realizing that even if she has a bad race, she still has a family and that matters more. Being a mother could also motivate her to want to inspire her child. Mu with mom power would be awesome!

That's a lot of speculating. We'll just have to wait and see what happens. Whatever she chooses to do, I hope she's happy.

I’ve been wondering for a long time if the fact Mu began training and competing at age 8 or 9 and has been at it for so many years at a high level now, compared to most, might have been a significant factor in her apparent lack of enthusiasm for competing the last couple of years. But I had not heard her ever mention “battling burnout” before, as you put it.

I may have simply missed it, of course, but various other reasons usually seem to be cited by commenters instead. I’d be interested to know where/when she mentioned the burnout angle. To me, that might be the very first thing one would suspect in her case. (Which isn’t to say the other reasons often suggested may not also apply.) As a comparison, don’t swimmers, who often begin at very young ages, tend to retire at a relatively early age, on average?

On the other hand, interestingly, the age of 8 or 9 is about the same age that Cole Hocker began training/competing seriously. He shows no sign of burnout, but of course is a much different personality.

It was back in 2023, when she considered skipping the World Championships even though she was physically healthy. I don't remember the exact interview (I think it was either after her race in Budapest or around the time of the DL Final), but I recall her talking about the 2021-2025 stretch of four years in a row with a global championship and wanting a break from it. I may be combining different things she said in separate interviews that year.

That was the same year she went on the Pivot podcast with Ryan Clark, where she talked extensively about how long she had been competing in the sport, sacrifices she had made, not being part of a team until she got to A&M, times when she thought about leaving the sport, the pressure of being Olympic Champion, and being at peace if she retired early. I just watched clips of that interview again. It was very revealing at the time; it's even more so looking back at it with hindsight.

of course a thread full of letsrun incel dudes would never think of this, but how bout maybe she's planning to have a baby, then come back and beat everyone's ass? she's definitely capable. how many times have we seen elite women have kids and come back better than ever?

Incel? Comical.

So do tells us the athletes who dominated at the Olympic level for more than one games. I will guess there are less than 10, maybe less than 8.

Give it a rest man.