Athing Mu, the reigning Olympic gold medalist in the women’s 800 meters, will not get a shot at defending her title in Paris after an early fall Monday in her signature race at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials knocked her out of contention for the three qualifying spots.
Mu, 22, went down on the track around the 200-meter mark and wasn’t able to catch back up. She finished ninth with a time of 2:19.69 and left the track in tears.
Nia Akins finished first with a personal-best 1:57.36. Allie Wilson crossed second with a season-best time of 1:58.32, and Juliette Whittaker also clocked a personal best to take third in 1:58.45.
Mu, who also won a gold in the women’s 4x400m relay in Tokyo, was hampered by a hamstring injury and hadn’t raced much in the lead-up to the U.S. trials, but she was still considered a medal contender heading into the Paris Games.
This story will be updated.
(Photo: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
