Aggie Track Star Athing Mu Breaks Olympic Trials Record
Athing Mu seemed to set new track records every time she ran while wearing Maroon & White. Now she is an Olympian.
Mu won the women’s 800-meter in Eugene, Oregon Sunday night, setting an Olympic Trials record of 1:56.07.
After being tripped by another runner early in the race, Mu was still able to post the second-fastest 800 time ever ran by an American.
Mu is considered an Aggie legend after just one year on campus and captured the attention of the track & field world with her dominant performances. Earlier in June, Mu won the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 400 meters and anchored the 4x400 relay team for Texas A&M that won both the indoor and outdoor titles.
More than once this season Mu set the collegiate record in the 400, and the Texas A&M 4x400 relay team also set a new collegiate outdoor mark. Her 400-meter time was the fourth-fastest in the world.
Mu is expected to be an Olympic threat for years to come, and the 19-yr old Mu changed her focus to the 800 ahead of the Olympic Trials then openly lobbied on social media for spots on the U.S. 4x400 team as well as the 800:
“I would love to run on the Olympic 4x4,” she said. “I mean, I know experience is definitely something that I guess you look for on an Olympic team. But not going to lie, I definitely watched a couple of 4x4 races of Team USA. Watching their splits and everything—and I remember watching Allyson Felix split 48—I believe this was the 2017 London World Championships. And you know what? I split 48 today. So. Wink wink, Team USA coaches.”
Mu elected to turn pro earlier this week and signed a contract with Nike believed to be worth between $500,000 and $750,000 per year, including additional bonuses for medals and records. Mu also indicated she plans to remain in College Station and train with Texas A&M coaches while continuing as a student as she begins her professional career.
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