Why Athing Mu is Unfazed by Worrying Last Place 800m Finish at Prefontaine Classic

The former 800 meter Olympic champion has blamed her rustiness down to one kety factor as she gears up for USA trials.

2020 Olympic 800 meter champion Athing Mu-Nikolayev has revealed why she is not too worried about her disappointing last place finish at the 2025 Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon last Saturday.

Mu, who is hoping to make Team USA for the World Athletics Championship  after an unfortunate fall denied her the chance to make the team for the Paris Olympics, is focused on the bigger picture — a return to peak form and a strong showing during the trials.

 Tsige Duguma of Ethiopia finished first in 1:57.10. The 800m race marked the return of 2021 Olympic 800m gold medalist Athing Mu-Nikolayev who had not run her two-lap specialty in competition in nearly a year.  She had a tough day, finishing tenth and last in 2:03.44.

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The 22-year-old  gold medalist acknowledged the disappointment of her performance in Eugene but attributed the result to limited race preparation and an interrupted season.

Athing Mu Reveals What Cost Her a Good Outing

“I was definitely hoping for the win. I was definitely hoping to run fast,” Mu told the media afterwards.

 “It definitely sucks not being able to have run a couple of 800s before this. Working out at practice is really great, but when it comes to competition, it takes a little bit more.”

Mu, noted that several meets in the U.S. she and her team had targeted were cancelled, forcing her to come into the high-profile Diamond League race with minimal sharpness.

“We knew that coming in,” she admitted. “But unfortunately, a lot of the meets in the U.S. were cancelled — especially the ones we were hoping to run in — so we kind of just had to wing it.”

The lack of race rhythm showed. Mu struggled to get into position during the race and was unable to respond in the final lap. Still, she sees the outing as a necessary step in her return.

“I clearly didn’t get my positioning at all during the race, and I think that was the biggest takeaway. Hopefully we just fix it up over the next couple of weeks,” she said.

Athing Mu Focused on US Trials

With the U.S. World Championship Trials just around the corner, Mu isn’t dwelling on one off-key result. Instead, she’s embracing the challenge ahead with perspective and maturity.

“USA [Trials] is another challenge that we have to overcome, and I’m ready for it,” she said. 

“It’s a little unfortunate how this one went, but I’m just happy that I’m not crazy down about it. I know it’s been a while, and this is just what comes with coming back.”