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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s training partner Athing Mu pulls out mid-race in season opener
Sydney McLaughlin Levrone’s training partner, Athing Mu, returned to the track first time in nine months and pulled out at the 3000 meters mark in the Mt. SAC Relays 5000 meters on Friday night at Hilmer Lodge Stadium. Mu marked her return for the first time since the US Olympic Trials in Eugene last summer.
The former Olympic Champion is getting ready for the 800m by running 5000m to gain back the momentum. After completing 3000 meters in the Mt.SAC Relays, she said:
“It was definitely long, longer than 800 meters or 1500 meters, but it was fun”
In the US trials, 2024, Mu was on track to qualify for the Paris Olympics in the women’s 800 meters, but she tripped and fell in the 200 meters into the race. Mu has not raced after failing to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
Following a tough season last year, Mu, who won the gold medal in the 800 meters at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, is gearing up for the Tokyo World Championships. She started her season with the 5,000m race.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Athing Mu trained for the 2025 season under Bobby Kersee
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Athing Mu are training under Bobby Kersee for the World Athletics Championship in Tokyo later this year. Coach Kersee responded to Mu’s entry in the Mt. SAC Relays 5000m by clarifying that she is not expected to go the full distance. He called it an early fitness check and an opportunity for her to get comfortable with racing in a larger group.
In an interview ahead of the 2023 World Athletics Championships, Kersee said:
“If I gave them a number that I believe that they can do, and I tell them why, they’re going to do it. I think that they’re not afraid. They showed me both now, again, that they’re not afraid to go after it.”
McLaughlin-Levrone and Mu won the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 World Championship together under the training of Bobby Kersee in Los Angeles. McLaughlin-Levrone withdrew from the 2023 World Championship due to a knee injury, but she made a comeback by setting a world record in the 400m hurdles.
After breaking the record, she expressed:
"It’s amazing to see our sport continue to grow, for people to want to watch the 400m hurdles, it’s amazing. Just a lot of hard work put in this year."
McLaughlin-Levrone broke the record for the sixth time in the 2024 Paris Olympics with a record of 50.37s, reducing her previous mark of 50.65s. Athing Mu is trying to get back on track, and McLaughlin-Levrone is getting ready to break the 50-second mark in 400m hurdles.
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