Eugene (United States) (AFP) – Former Olympic and world champion Athing Mu-Nikolayev suffered disappointment in her bid to qualify for the World Championships on Friday after being eliminated in the semi-finals of the 800m at the US Track and Field Championships. Mu-Nikolayev took the world by storm in 2021, winning a dazzling 800m gold at the Tokyo Olympics and a gold in the 4x400m relay just months after turning professional. She added World Championship gold to her tally in 2022.
However, Mu-Nikolayev has struggled to recapture that kind of form in the years since, notably suffering a fall in the final of US Olympic trials last year that prevented her from defending her title in Paris. Mu-Nikolayev, 23, had run only two 800m this season prior to this week’s championships at Eugene, Oregon, including a 10th place finish in the Prefontaine Classic last month.
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She had looked comfortable in the opening round on Thursday, qualifying second fastest overall in 2min 0.06sec. However, she found the going tougher in Friday’s semi-finals, finishing fourth in her race in a time of 1:59.79. That time was not good enough to see her advance as one of the fastest losers.
“Like I said, this is a big stepping stone for me this year,” Mu-Nikolayev said after her exit. “Just still coming out here and prepared for whatever was going to happen, and being content with whatever was going to happen. I think that’s helpful for what I need going for next couple of years. Everything’s not going to be pretty, everything’s not going to be perfect,” she added. “I just have to make sure that I’m not too shaken by old things that happen and occur, and I don’t always hold onto those things.”
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