Athing Mu took her place in Lane 2 of the track before her first race at the Tokyo Olympics. A TV camera moved in front of her as the stadium announcer introduced the Trenton native to the world ... and absolutely butchered her name.
“AHHH-THING MAAA!” he bellowed.
Mu, hands on her hips, tilted her head and smirked ever so slightly. This is not the first time someone has mispronounced the 19-year-old track phenom’s name. They’ve been doing it “since the day I started running,” she told reporters in Japan.
“Oh my, God, I’m sure everyone saw my face,” Mu said. “I don’t even know what he said. But it was terrible. Like, where do you even get that from?”
Perhaps now, though, that Mu is on the verge of stardom people can start getting it right. Mu can become the first U.S. woman in more than a half-century to win the 800-meter run on Tuesday, and with that in mind, perhaps a tutorial is in order.
Say it out loud ...
uh-THING moe
Once more, for practice ...
uh-THING moe
Again, with meaning ...
uh-THING moe
Three syllables. Three simple sounds. Getting her name right is easy. Defeating her in her signature event? That is a different challenge.
Mu has looked dominant in these Olympics so far, cruising to a victory in her preliminary heat and in the semifinals. Given that the 1:56.07 she ran in the U.S. Olympic Trials is the fastest in the world this year, she’ll be favored to win the gold medal. The final race is at 8:25 a.m. on Tuesday.
The last American woman to win the 800 meters was Madeline Manning in 1968. Since then, while dominating track and field, Team USA runners have claimed only two medals in the event -- both by Kim Gallagher, a silver in 1984 and a bronze in 1988.
Had the Olympics been held last summer as scheduled, it is likely that Mu won’t have been on the team at all. She was just graduating Trenton Central, after all, and on her way to Texas A&M. But she had a dominant freshman season, setting multiple records and turning pro this spring.
Timing is everything in track, and Mu is peaking at exactly the right moment. That is no surprise to people in the New Jersey track and field community.
“When it comes to athletes like her, you can tell even when she’s 13 or 14 that this person is super talented,” said Ajee Wilson, a Neptune native who also specializes in the 800 meter. “We definitely knew she was coming. Athing, I’m sure, will have a super long career.”
Mu isn’t looking past her next race, but the track world can. She broke an NCAA record when she ran the 400-meter run in 49.57, and given that time is fourth-best in the world this year, it isn’t a stretch to envision her running in multiple events in future Olympics.
If Tokyo is her introduction to the world, Paris could establish her as a track superstar in 2024. She already has signed with Nike and is represented by agent Wes Felix, whose other clients include his sister Allyson and New Jersey hurdler Sydney McLaughlin.
“I’m looking forward to standing on the podium, the middle one, and receiving the gold medal that in the future will have my name engraved on it,” Mu said before leaving for Tokyo. “I just want to be an Olympic champion, to be completely honest!”
Wilson, her top American rival, did not qualify for the final. Her top competition on Tuesday will be Natoya Goule of Jamaica, Keely Hodgkinson of Great Britain and fellow American Raevyn Rogers, but of the three, only Goule has cracked 1:57.
The 800 meters can be a fluky race. In the men’s semifinals, top American Isaiah Jewett collided with Botswana’s Nijel Amos with just 200 meters remaining. They had to help each other across the finish line, their Olympic dream gone in an instant.
Mu will try to use her 5-foot-10 frame and long strides to take an early lead and avoid contact with other runners. If she gets out in front, it is likely that the stadium announcer will get another crack at her name -- this time, when she is handed that gold medal.
“I think I’ve learned, no matter how many times you say something, there’s always going to be someone that’s going to mess it up,” she said. “You can’t tell every single person, ‘This is how you say it.’ Because they’re not going to remember.”
Last time, for the gold ...
uh-THING moe
***
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Steve Politi may be reached at [email protected].