Athing Mu stumbles, falls in 800 meters and will not have chance to defend her Olympic title
Olympic champion Athing Mu’s hopes for a repeat title came crashing down during the first lap of the 800-meter final at U.S. track trials
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Athing Mu got tangled up in the middle of the track and started falling. One hand hit the ground, then the other. As she rolled onto her back, her bright pink shoes started pointing toward the sky.
With that, one of America's most promising runners saw her hopes of back-to-back Olympic titles in the 800 meters go down the drain while sports fans got a refresher of just how unforgiving these U.S. track trials really are.
The 22-year-old from New Jersey became the first big-name casualty of the trials Monday, victimized by a bunched-up pack in the backstretch of the first lap, to say nothing of the long-standing rule in the U.S. that only the top three finishers at trials make the Olympics, regardless of their resume.
“I heard it and I was just like ‘OK, keep running, it wasn’t you,'” said second-place finisher Allie Wilson. “That, unfortunately, is part of racing. Things like that can happen.”
