Athing Mu is going to get “ice cream wasted.”
That is the ritual one of her coaches from the Trenton Track Club — Lawrence resident Bernice Mitchell — has created as a celebration ritual for the 19-year-old phenom from Trenton. (U.S. 1, July 28, 2021)
Mu, who recently signed with Nike after completing a record-breaking freshman year at Texas A&M University, set a new record on her way to a decisive victory in the 800 meter race at the Tokyo Olympics on August 3.
Mu was dominant in Tokyo, easily winning her preliminary and semifinal heats before setting a personal best and American record of 1:55.21 in a final that she led from the start. At the U.S. Olympic trials she had established the fastest time in the world this year.
Her American teammate, Raevyn Rogers, finished third. A fellow teenager, 19-year-old Keely Hodgkinson of Great Britain, took second.
Mu’s victory marked the first in the event by an American woman since 1968. She was also the youngest woman to win an individual gold medal in track & field competition since 1964.
