Athing Mu: Stats That Suggest Former Olympics Champion Could Be In For Another Tough Season

History suggests Athing Mu could find it tough with a late start to the season yet again. Image source: Imago

Athing Mu: Stats That Suggest Former Olympics Champion Could Be In For Another Tough Season

Joel Omotto 13:15 - 17.04.2025

Athing Mu is preparing to start her season this week but it could be a painful campaign yet again given a number of factors witnessed from her in the recent past.

Former Olympics 800m champion Athing Mu is gearing up for her return to track nine months after her tearful US Olympics trials but there is no guarantee that it will be a season of success.

Mu has been slotted for the 65th annual Mt SAC Relays set to take place at the Hilmer Lodge Stadium in Walnut, California, where she is signed up for the 5,000m race, although there are doubts if she will actually feature in the event.

This will be the American’s first race since June 2024, when she fell on her way to winning the women’s 800m final at the US Olympics trials, and missed a chance to defend her ticket in Paris.

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Mu took time off, and even got married in March 2025, and looks ready to return to track but her recent form suggests it could be a season of struggle for the 2022 world champion.

This is because unlike most of her rivals, Mu has not run competitively since June 2024, which was actually her first event of the year, and since then, she has featured in no other competition

It means she has only been in a competitive environment once in over one-and-a-half years, making it difficult to gauge how she will perform this year.

Looking at her past achievements, Mu had started her seasons early in the two years when she enjoyed success in 2021 and 2022 and when she came in late in 2023 and 2024, it was a tough campaign.

History doesn't back late season start for Athing Mu

Athing Mu will race in the 5,000m at the Mt SAC Relays in California on April 18. Photo: Imago

In 2021, she opened her season on January 16 before she went on to win the Tokyo Olympics, winning gold in her specialty 800m, and the following year, she started on January 15 before going on to triumph at the 2022 World Championships over the distance.

However, in 2023, Mu opened her season on June 24, after months of speculation over whether she could actually defend her world title in Budapest, Hungary, and she did just enough to secure bronze but when she repeated the same in 2024, starting the campaign on June 21 at the US trials, it did not end well.

While it can be argued that she would have been at the Olympics if she did not fall, there was no guarantee that she would have beaten Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson and retained her title.

Part of what delayed the 22-year-old in 2024 was an injury suffered early in the season and while she has healed, she still lacks the sharpness to go toe-to-toe with her competitors.

Mu is also beginning her season a little late given history suggests she does well with early starts and these factors combined could conspire to make it a difficult campaign for the American.

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