For the first time in her professional career, Athing Mu seemed likely to lose the 800-meter race.
Mu usually dominates the race with a unique and effortless stride that seems to be energetic with little arm movement. Mu is known to move gracefully with a stoic face, creating a gap between himself and the field, while world-class rivals moan and distort their faces and try to maintain their pace.
But that’s not what happened on Sunday night in the 800-meter World Championship finals. Normally, Mu turns to another gear with the remaining 200 meters of the race, leaving competitors behind. But tonight, Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson kept pace.
The Hayward Field crowd barked when Mu and Hodgkinson ran side by side for the last 100 meters. Mu beat Hodgkinson at the finish line with a time of 1’56.30 seconds and defeated Hodgkinson in just 1/800 seconds. Mary Moraa of Kenya finished in 3rd place.
Hodgkinson also finished behind Mu in the 800-meter Olympic final last summer, setting a national record with a time of 1: 55.88. She said she was happy with another silver, which was a World Championship medal, but a bit bittersweet to be “very close” to gold.
