At just 19 years of age, Athing Mu has already made quite an impression in the track and field discipline. The American middle distance star made a stunning Olympic debut in Tokyo earlier this year, clinching gold medals in the 800m and 4x400m events.

Although she competed in just a few tournaments at the highest level, her impressive achievements speak volumes about her talent. In fact, the 19-year-old recently revealed she would consider venturing into long-distance categories.

Athing Mu considers moving into long-distance categories in the future

In 2018, Mu won a silver medal at the Youth Olympic Games in the 800m event. After tasting success in 2019 and 2020, she broke the 800m indoor record in Fayetteville with a time of 1:58.40 earlier this year. Her excellent run of form made her a medal favorite in Tokyo and she didn’t fail to disappoint.

She scored an excellent victory in the 4x400m final along with Sydney McLaughlin, Allyson Felix and Dalilah Muhammad to clinch her maiden Olympic gold medal. With a time of 3:16.85, they beat second-placed Poland by a staggering four seconds to retain their crown.

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A few days later, Mu followed up on this victory by clinching her second Olympic gold medal in the 800m event. She edged out British star Keely Hodgkinson by a mere 0.67s to secure a stunning victory, marking the rise of young talent in the sport.

Recently, the 19-year-old sensation interacted with her fans on Instagram by taking questions from them. When asked about her thoughts to move up to the 1500m category, she revealed her setting the school record when she attempted last spring. She said, “I ran on last spring at UT. 4:16 was the time, school record LOL!”

Can Mu achieve the same level of success in the 1500m event?

The Texas A&M student certainly proved her mettle on the biggest stage this year. While tasting success in the 800m event is no small feat, replicating that success in the 1500m isn’t quite the same. Apart from the longer distance, the competition will also be different for Mu as millions saw in Tokyo this year.

Her 4:16 attempt is far off 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon, who set an Olympic record of 3:53.11 this year. However, should Mu look to move up, she has the tools to succeed in the category in the long run.

Not only is her 5″10 frame an advantage, but her average speed could be a massive threat if she can maintain it in the longer distance category. While she has a long career ahead of her, only time will tell whether she wants to make that switch.

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