Unless Nike didn't renew her contract for another Olympic cycle, which seem unlikely considering she's an Olympic and World champion, she's not going anywhere.
Nike seemingly stayed linked to Shelby during her ban.
That's an athlete who had a doping positive, and not a single performance on the books since 2020.
Pretty sure they won't cut ties with a woman who, in the meantime:
- Won two Olympic golds in 2021 - Won a WC gold in 2022 and bronze in 2023 - Ran a PB and NATIONAL RECORD in September 2023, all of 16 months ago
We are saying the same thing. Nike is not cutting ties with Mu. She's the most decorated women's 800 meter runner in the world.
Bro, she's literally 22. She has a good 10 years left at least. Calm down. I predict she'll be a 48/1:53 runner for sure.
I think people sleep on her 400M ability. She could match up with the likes of SML if she really wanted to. Maybe not exactly beat her, but definitely serve as some strong ass competition. I can see her being a non-doped up Kratochvílová
She may have 10 years of physical prime left, but mental prime? She's just not in love with the sport, or at least, isn't any more. And lets face it, you need to be in love with this to do the grind of the training and the sacrifices that will take that natural talent and make you the top in the world. I think, from watching the interviews she gave, that she was at least having fun (if not completely in love with track) leading up to the Tokyo Olympics, and that the pressure took a lot of that fun away, but the change to Kersee has been a f'ing car wreck mentally and emotionally for her. She has gone from bubbly and fun to an utter basket case that just wants to get away from all of this "track" crap. Its a huge change. And if you're head isn't in it, then of course you're going to bail on it. The failure to keep her healthy, injury free and fit (she's literally the female Radusha: the singlulary most blessed female 800m runner we've seen to date) is a massive miss by Kersee, but its overshadowed by his inability to keep her motivated, to keep her head in the game. That is a colossal blunder.
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.
I can understand not wanting to be a pro runner. I had/have three former runners turn pro.
Two love it, one lasted 6 months and said the lifestyle just wasn't for her.
She got married, has a child and still runs very competitively just not at the elite level.