One can hardly forget the moment Athing Mu won gold in the Olympics in Tokyo, making it the best season ever for an American 800-meter runner. Mu moved to Los Angeles in late 2022 to train with Bobby Kersee, who has produced dozens of Olympic-medal-winning athletes, including Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. While all of that is said and done with Paris on her periphery, another young buck is popping up set to give her tough competition at the upcoming Prefontaine Classic.

While Mu is already a dominant threat, she was overwhelmed by moving from Texas and juggling her school obligations with elite sprint training on the side, Mu’s biggest rival this Olympic year is a reigning European champion and Tokyo silver medalist from Great Britain who joined the 800m gold favorites on the road to Paris. Will the vested interest of the masses shift from America to Britain courtesy this Briton sprinter?

Athing Mu’s potential threat is a phantom in her own right and is out for glory

Three years ago, British underdog and phantom Keely Hodgkinson won the same medal in two world championships, after finishing behind Athing Mu in Tokyo. Hodgkinson, 22, also established a new 400-meter personal best in Citta di Savona, just two months ahead of the Summer Games in Paris. Proud of raising the bar, Hodgkinson told BBC, “It’s exciting but a little bit daunting, and a very different position to what I was in last time.” Now, despite coming off the LA Grand Prix upset, Athing Mu is prepared to battle Hodgkinson and the 2023 Worlds champion, Mary Moraa, at the Prefontaine Classic this weekend.

Mu is known for her winning streak, be it at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics in Tokyo where she took home gold in the 800 m and the 4×400 m relay, or a stellar freshman year at Texas A&M University, setting six collegiate records and earning three national titles. She participated in just three meets last year, mostly in the 800 meters. Mu concentrated on the 1500 meters at the 2023 U.S. Championships. With a PR of 4:03.44, she finished in second place, however, opted out of her berth in the United States team. It was evident that 2023 was a transitional year, and as Mu noted, it wasn’t smooth.

In contrast, this season, the Wigan-born English athlete has her sights set on more European success. Hodgkinson won silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics by shattering Kelly Holmes’ British 800m record back in 1995. Following that, the middle-distance track sensation won gold at the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich. To date, she has won ten medals at major championships in the U23, U20, U18, and senior divisions. Her desire for more success in the French capital comes with a head-to-head challenge against Mu, who is hungry for a victory.

Tokyo Olympics duo have their goals set for the season

While Athing Mu hasn’t decided whether or not to compete in the 1500m race this year, she said her priority for Paris is the 800m. Mu noted, “I’ve always been a diverse athlete… Being able to have both speed and strength I think is perfect for the 800.” Keely Hodgkinson has high goals set for this Olympic season. She declared, “I’d love to look back on my career and say I did this many European Championships and I won this many medals. I don’t want anything to go to waste.”

Athing Mu will race the double treble at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field in the Prefontaine Classic on Saturday, May 25. Nevertheless, Athing Mu is unsure whether she will compete in Prefontaine or the U.S. Olympic Trials, which commence on June 21.