Texas A&M star Athing Mu wins 800m at U.S. Olympic Trials

Following a 2021 track season wearing Maroon & White during which she seemed to set new records every time she ran, Athing Mu is now an Olympian. Mu won the women’s 800 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon on Sunday night, running an Olympic Trials record 1:56.07.

Despite being tripped by another runner early in the race, Mu posted the second-fastest 800 time ever by an American and left the rest of the field well over 10 meters in her shadow.

An Aggie legend after just one year on campus, Mu captured the attention of the track & field world with dominant performances and a magnetic personality. Earlier this month, Mu won the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 400 meters and anchored the A&M 4x400 relay team that won both the indoor and outdoor national titles.

Mu set the collegiate record in the 400 more than once this season, and the A&M 4x400 relay team also set a new collegiate outdoor mark. Her 400-meter time was fastest by an American this year and the fourth-fastest in the world.

Expected to be an Olympic triple threat in years to come, the 19-year-old quickly shifted her focus to the 800 ahead of the Olympic Trials. She’ll also be in consideration to join the U.S. 4x400 team in Tokyo and openly lobbied for a spot on that team after her NCAA Outdoor performance.

“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.”

As anticipated, Mu elected to turn pro earlier in the week, signing a Nike contract believed to be worth between $500,000 and $750,00 per year, plus bonuses for medals and records.

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Mu indicated she plans to remain in College Station and train with A&M coaches. She also will continue as a student at Texas A&M as she begins her professional career.

Mu cruised through the early heats of the Trials before winning the finals, which were delayed several hours by uncharacteristic heat in the Pacific Northwest, Sunday evening.