Athing Mu Finds New Strength Through Faith and Marriage Amid Challenging Comeback Season

Athing Mu, the 2020 Olympic champion in the 800m, has opened up about the emotional and mental journey she has endured as she attempts to rekindle her relationship with track and field.

Speaking after her performance at the 2025 Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, Mu reflected on how her faith and her recent marriage to former Russian middle-distance runner Yegor Nikolayev have helped her regain perspective and inner peace.

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At the Prefontaine Classic, a Wanda Diamond League meet in Eugene, Mu finished last in the women’s 800m as the race was won by Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma

Despite the result, Mu used the moment to share deeper insights into her ongoing journey.

“I think there's been a little bit of turmoil with my relationship with track just because it's been really challenging for me,” she said in a post-race interview as quoted by Sportskeeda.

“So, I've kind of had to get myself back into just having fun with track, remembering why I did this and knowing that this is not a gift that I gave myself.”

Mu’s struggles began with a hamstring injury that disrupted her 2024 season, eventually limiting her appearances on the track.

She re-emerged at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June 2024, but her campaign ended in heartbreak after a fall during the 800m final led to a last-place.

Despite an appeal to USATF, her request to represent the U.S. at the Paris Olympics was denied, a crushing blow for the defending Olympic champion.

The 2025 season has since become a gradual process of rediscovery.

Throughout the season, Mu has leaned heavily on her faith and the support of her marriage.

“The Lord has blessed me with a gift, and so just trying to honor it. It took me a really long while to get back to that,” she shared.

“There’s a lot of personal things that happened, but having things like marriage and just having that positive side of my life go on a high is helpful, because I don’t have to go through these situations on my own.”

While results on the track have yet to match her former dominance, Mu’s story in 2025 is no longer just about titles or times but about embracing the next chapter with grace and gratitude.