Athing Mu may skip 2023 World Championships and focus on 2024

Just shoot this sport into the sun. Once the pros start acting pros, maybe the fans will follow.

Until then, looking forward to the NFL and NBA seasons starting back up soon.

Keep praising Kersee, folks.

This is great for the sport..............

Why the heck will you not run if you are healthy???

IF she skips Budapest, there is something fishy going on. I have been very adamant in defending her right not to race, but this is the World Championships. Either more games from Kersee and she goes or there is something strange going on.

I say this as a huge fan of Athing Mu....

Gosh, that isn't suspicious at all

Kersee is a master of the attention game.

She obviously doesn't enjoy racing. Feels too much pressure, maybe?

Used to be a big fan of hers but no more. Sick of this crap. Will NEVER cheer for her again in fact will pull for every other 800m in the world except her.

Bobby Kersee makes Jerry Schumacher look like a race enthusiast.

Nike needs to do something about this

Is it fair that even the suggestion of this makes me want to never root for her again. I get that track is individual, but this level of disregard for the sport is too much for me.

edit: obviously this is presuming she doesn’t have some issue doing on they don’t want to address. I’ll try to give her the benefit of the doubt.

I thought I heard she was going to switch to the 3000m steeplechase as she thinks she would be a lock to make the team next year.😀

It actually sounds to me as if she is going to Budapest and that Kersee just wants attention. Maybe this is his way of generating what he thinks is suspense.

She will get in 1:52 800m shape, and never line up to race again

i say this as a fan of hers also...to me she has never seemed ALL in, like a wc/oc would normally be. this kid should be able to push the wr to 1:52. a couple years ago i though that was a lock...but no more.

if she wants to model more than she wants to train/race, that's her prerogative...but i can't take her as seriously as i used to.

i hope this is all just a stupid bluff, because it sounds like either (a) she's achieved so much already that she's no longer driven, (b) she thinks she'll get beat or (c) drugs

Bobby Kersee knows that a healthy Mu skipping worlds to focus on the Olympics in 12 months will generate far more negative attention than Mu running 1:57 and taking silver, right?

Why not say she's dealing with a minor injury? Or if this is a mental health thing, be upfront about that? A coach's first priority should be to protect their athletes, speculating like this is just gonna draw a tidal storm of negative press and really get the rumors flying.

My first reaction is that whatever is actually going on, this is incredibly unprofessional and disrespectful to the sport and her rivals. But who knows, maybe they are just trying to mess with everyone else's minds.

Bruh WTF...

I rlly hope she races. Refusing to compete in the world champs while healthy to prioritize the Olympics would be detrimental to the sport. I am of the thought that the Olympics should not be the highest level for Athletics it should be world champs but this only devalues that meet if she doesn't run. Having other interests outside of track is not only fine but its human; most pro-athletes nowadays have off-field ventures whether it be podcasts, gaming, business endeavors, acting, modeling etc. But what is constant is that the best will always prioritize what allows them to do those other things. Mu willingly skipping the World Champs just shows that if the best don't take their world championship seriously, then why should the fans? Prioritizing the Olympics keeps track and field as a side show instead of a legitimate pro-sport. That is just my reactionary take I do believe that she will race at Worlds to defend her title: I hope