In the dark tunnel of suffering, Athing Mu finds a ray of hope and the credit goes to her fans. Her fans are not ready yet to call it a day on her chances to make it to the Paris Olympics. However, the Monday (June 24) afternoon did not show any such need. Expectedly, the two-time Olympic champion entered her 800m US Olympic trials final at Hayward Field as the fan favorite, but fate had other plans in store for her.

In supporting her chance of performing better, Athing Mu had the top position in the semifinal round. Furthermore, in the same field, she had her 800m world lead and national record timing in 2023. But an off-footing from the usual movements and a resulting fall have demolished Athing Mu’s dream. But her fans argue that she still can pull off an unthinkable to make her dream come back to life. 

An unforeseen ruckus in the mid-track and a lot of questions 

As the final leaderboard shows, Athing Mu finished her qualifying 800m race, taking 2:19.69 minutes. That time is not at all close to being good in order to find her a place on the flight bound for the Paris Olympics. But what that leaderboard failed to show was Athing Mu falling into the 200m in the race and lagging in the entire event subsequently. But for a single, brief moment, she didn’t think of giving up on chasing the bunch. She kept her emotions under control after seeing her inevitable chance of missing the qualification. But she kept running toward the finishing line. However, all hell broke loose after Athing reached the other side. 

The agony of not being successful touched her soul as the Trenton native was seen to crying along the fence line. Stumbling on the track was not new to her. In the Tokyo Olympics trials’ final as well, she stumbled on her feet. But in the meantime, she managed to keep her legs steady. However, in Oregon yesterday, things were not on her side, and the failure pierced deeply as she had been thought to defend her Olympic title in Paris. The same statement echoed in Rai Benjamin’s voice, also in the post-match conversation. 

In his sad note, the Olympic gold medalist said, “You feel for her because she’s supposed to be there”. This definitively proves that it was almost always slated for her to be here, at this grand stage. However, several of Athing Mu’s fans have seen a conspiracy behind their favorite athlete’s exit from the berth. 

One such fan has argued based on the technical rules of the 800m sprinting. As the rule says, the break line violation before the runners are allowed to break to the inside can invite disqualification of the blamed athlete. However, in Athing’s case, she didn’t violate the mentioned rule. And she could have faced a push from her left side as the fan complained. The push ultimately resulted in her fall. So, the fan has argued that there was something fishy during the event. However, that doubt has paved the way for the fan, demanding, “Give her a fair shot, with a solo race”. That chance can give Athing Mu a second shot to get to the Paris Olympics. But several more probable chances have been discussed in the scene. 

Is Athing Mu on a relay team? Fans become rabble rousers and give their best theory 

After questioning the reason for the fall, fans have turned to finding another alternative route to send Athing Mu to the Paris Olympics. From that perspective, the 4x400m relay team in the women’s category fits superbly. There are multiple reasons behind it. A track and field connoisseur has turned the discussion to the ‘discretion’ quota. 

 He put forth his comment, arguing, “Don’t be surprised if Athing Mu is a coach’s discretionary pick for the 4×4 pool. In fact I’d be shocked if she isn’t.” Another fan has followed him by penning, “The rules state they have discretionary picks for exceptional situations for the relay pool.” As per the rules, two members from both the 4x100m and 4x400m relay pools can be picked up by the relay and team coaches. This part is called ‘discretionary’. In that way, Athing Mu can be part of the relay teams. However, several more ifs and buts can crop up as well. 

In the selection, Athing Mu’s coach Bobby Kersee could make an important decision. He could allow Athing to run a 400m event before the Paris Olympics to show her ability. Fortunately, all the American teams have earned their Paris Olympics qualification beforehand. Additionally, in the Tokyo Olympics, Athing Mu had featured in the 4x400m relay squad in the women’s category, which ultimately won the gold medal. But that is not the end of coincidences. 

In that victorious relay team, Dalilah Muhammed found her entry in a similar process. If Athing follows that route, that would be life coming full circle. However, another fan has batted for her probable entry in the upcoming 1500m trial event. But that may not be the reality, as on such short notice, the Nike athlete may not find her place on the roster. However, seeing all this, a clamor has taken place. 

It is all about rerunning the 800m trial event final as a fan has commented, “Rules allow races to be rerun.” But that may not be on the cards as well if a greater exigency comes up. Altogether, the ball is now in the coaches’ court to consider Athing Mu under the discretionary rule.