Athing Mu runs 50.42 400m to win by a second Puerto Rico

Keely Nicole Hodgkinson

Eugene...........Waiting for MU

It's gonna be the Athing and Keely show for the next decade. They both are only thinking about the world record and gold.

The World Record is out of reach.

I dont think so.Most athletes who run really fast when young dont have long careers.

Except it's definitely not happening to Keely. 52s 400m PB is too slow to challenge the world record and gold will also be snagged by someone with better basic speed.

While it's true Keely doesn't have Mu's raw speed, I wouldn't count her out for a gold medal on the right day. I definitely think Athing has the speed and the drive to get the world record. She's almost at 1:55 flat at 19 years old. It's not a crazy stretch to think she could work off 1.8 seconds somewhere along the way. I know that's easier said than done and that WR has stood up against all the greats. Still, if someone's gonna do it, it's Athing Mu. I'm encouraged that she's already made it a goal. After all she's done, there's no where else to go. She's only gonna get faster. Kelly's tough. Their competitive dynamic is only going to get better.

wouldn't that be great?

She achieves a bunch now then she moves on to something more meaningful that running.

She is still very young, she will gain strength in the next few years, she already has speed, if she can run 49 low in an open 400M then she will have a shot at Jarmila's WR.

No need for blasphemy.

Someone who is world class at age 18/19 is still probably going to be world class at age 28. But ya I'll agree that someone who runs elite age group times at age 16 may not have a long career... But at this point Mu just needs to do what she's already done, occasionally improving but not even every year, and she'll be the best there ever was.

Your theory is easy to test, here is the top U20s from 2011.

worldathletics.org

800 Metres - women - u20 - outdoor - 2011

Open link

Keely would need to get there on the strength side. She is running 35-40mpw and has great natural endurance to be able to run under 1:56 with only 52-second speed. If she can increase her endurance with more training while holding onto her speed she can improve maybe not to a World Record, but she can get down a second faster possibly and also be a threat in the 1500.