USA Today via Reuters
Jun 24, 2021; Eugene, OR, USA; Athing Mu and Nikki Hiltz lead a women’s 800m heat during the US Olympic Team Trials at Hayward Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Jun 24, 2021; Eugene, OR, USA; Athing Mu and Nikki Hiltz lead a women’s 800m heat during the US Olympic Team Trials at Hayward Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
In athletics, athletes must navigate various challenges such as maintaining their health, optimizing performance, and meeting the expectations of themselves, their coaches, and fans. At times, these expectations and critiques can become burdensome, exerting a detrimental influence on their work. Track and field standout Athing Mu understands the potential impact of these factors and has developed strategies to overcome them.
The Olympic gold medalist, who at times considered skipping the World Athletics Championship for better preparation for the next year’s Olympics, took part in the competition. She competed in 800m where she faced well-known athletes like Mary Moraa and Keely Hodgkinson. Mu finished third in the finals and claimed the bronze medal. Subsequently, she revealed how she managed the pressure from the public prior to the race.
Athing Mu’s remedy to deal with expectation
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Athing Mu is a well-known athlete in track and field sports. She is the reigning 800m Olympic champion and one of the winners of the 800m World Championship. After qualifying in the semis despite tripping near the finish line, she was expected to win the race in the finals. But, this time at the World Championship, she lost her gold medal to last year’s bronze medalist Mary Moraa, and claimed the bronze in the event. Following the race, during her interaction with the media, she shared insights into how she navigated the pressure of high expectations and derived enjoyment from her performance. In a post shared by freelance sports journalist Cathal Dennehy on X platform, she discussed this issue.
“For that reason I deleted social media. I have not seen anything for the past few weeks.
“I feel like people can just take a chill pill sometimes, and let us do our thing.”
Athing Mu talks about blocking out the noise on the way to a major championships. pic.twitter.com/Q45Oewj5fv
— Cathal Dennehy (@Cathal_Dennehy) August 27, 2023
When queried about her experience during the race and whether she had felt any pressure, she responded that she had strategically positioned herself to derive a sense of enjoyment. She elaborated that leading up to the event, there had been substantial speculation about her participation and actions. Everybody has their ideas, assumptions, and expectations but they don’t have the inside story into the athlete’s life. For an athlete, such scrutiny puts pressure on them. Therefore, Mu deleted the social media and explained, “I have not seen anything for the past few weeks“. She further said, “I feel like people can just take a chill pill sometimes, and let us do our thing“. She acknowledged that she loves that people have expectations from her but there should be a little room left for them to enjoy.
Athing Mu aims to enjoy the vacation
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The young athlete, who busted into the world scene at the age of 19 at the Tokyo Olympics, has made a name in Track and Field. The reigning Olympic gold medalist is happy with her performance at the World Championship. She acknowledges that in spite of the bronze finish, people’s expectations will remain the same and this is a learning experience for her.
Read More: US Olympic Star Athing Mu Teases Long Distance Trial Ahead of World Championships 2022
She admitted that this year was not her favorite and she is waiting to see what happens in the future. But, in the meantime, she is looking forward to the vacation. She had a hectic schedule for the past three years in which she didn’t have any considerable breaks, therefore this time she had stopped thinking about track and field and focused on enjoying a vacation.
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Athing Mu is a young athlete who has achieved remarkable success in her relatively short career and exhibits substantial potential for even greater accomplishments. Consequently, there are high expectations from her, expectations she has handled with a remarkable blend of maturity and grace, all while continuing to find joy in her races.
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