Ating Mu's bid to repeat as an Olympic gold medalist in the women's 800 metres ended in the most disappointing way on Monday night.
Mu's shocking crash midway through the first lap of the two-lap race left him too far behind to reconnect with the others.
Mu was running in the third lane from the fence when he veered to the inside in front of fellow Olympian Rayvin Rogers and the two runners' legs appeared to get tangled, Rogers stumbled but kept his footing and Mu collapsed to the ground.
Three years after her radiant smile and unmatched speed made her one of the faces of the Tokyo Olympics, Mu crossed the finish line at Hayward Field with tears in her eyes on Monday night. Her time of 2 minutes 19.69 seconds was more than 20 seconds slower than winner Nia Akins and Paris qualifiers Allie Wilson and Juliet Whitaker.
Without her fall, it's hard to imagine that the 22-year-old would not have won the race, let alone finished in the top three. She was one of the brightest stars in American track and field even before she was old enough to order wine in a restaurant.
Mu broke NCAA records at Texas A&M University, won Olympic gold medals in the 800 meters and 4×400 meter relay in 2021 and proved herself by winning the world championships the following year for the U.S. She had barely lost a race in her career before settling for a bronze medal at last year's world championships.
