Athing Mu speaks on how health issues delayed her season start by two months

Athing Mu speaks on how health issues delayed her season start by two months

Abigael Wafula 15:31 - 22.06.2024

Mary Moraa's track rival, Athing Mu, has opened up on why she was forced to open her season at the US Olympic trials despite being confirmed for several other meets in which she was a no-show.

Olympic 800m champion Athing Mu has finally opened her season at the US Olympic trials with a third-place finish in the 800m and she has revealed why she had to delay her campaign opener until mid-season.

Mu had been confirmed for a number of meets before the Olympic trials but withdrew, with the latest being the Prefontaine Classic, the Diamond League Meeting in Eugene, where she had to pull out due to an injury setback.

The American explained that it was all health-related and she had no choice but to focus on becoming better first before descending on the track for any specific race.

She explained that her coach, Bobby Kersee, usually prioritizes the health of the athletes and he had to maintain focus on that until she was given a clean bill of health.

The former world champion was also quick to note that she is doing okay and is confident that there is time for her to get into the right shape ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. In her respective heat, Mu clocked 2:01.73 to complete the podium.

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“It was all health-related…we had a plan to get into the season that you know, we just wanted to run into shape and I think that’s what a lot of professional athletes always want to do and unfortunately, we just had something happen and we had to take a step back and the cards were played.

“Of course, if we had a better situation we could have been competing more but it’s always best to be healthy and that’s Bobby’s priority for all the athletes,” she said in a post-race interview.

She added that coming back and competing against other women felt good and for her, the heats were just to wake up her legs as she looks to impress in the semifinal and final.

The world silver medallist added that this being an Olympic year where she is the defending champion, she does not feel any stress since she fully trusts her coach and knows that she will be ready at the right time.

“It was good…I felt like it was pretty controlled. It felt pretty smooth and just felt like it was my first race back. Of course, my legs were getting a little wake-up but it felt nice.

“I think building up to this week, I was just kind of relaxed and happy and we had a lot of progression coming into the US Championships.

“Coach just wanted to take us through it one day at a time and just take one race at a time and once again just wake up my legs because it’s been a while and also just being in a competitive field where I’m also competing with other women.

“I don’t really think it’s stressful because I trust Bobby, I trust my coach and what we do in practice is amazing and I mean, we basically run in shape. The main thing is competing against other athletes,” she said.