In her first race since the U.S. Championships and only her second 800 meters of the season this Wednesday, Athing Mu looked comfortable running a 1:59.59 to win the seventh and final preliminary heat. She went out hard and led for most of the race, only letting up in the last 100 meters, enough that Jamaica’s Natoya Goule-Toppin challenged her, but Mu held her off.
Alas, it wasn’t just Mu’s performance that turned heads on the track today. The known track fashion icon (who is also interested in pursuing modeling) premiered a dazzling pair of custom bejeweled light blue Nike spikes that have set hearts aflutter. Followed by a chase pack full of athletes wearing the popular hot pink and orange Nike spikes that have been so prominent in the distance events at the 2023 World Championships, Mu’s one of a kind shoes stood out. Some fans have commented that the bling must be weighing her down, but it’s a matter of grams, and something that the defending world and Olympic champ looking to earn her third global 800m title seems utterly unbothered by.
Just a few weeks ago, it was a question if she’d even be racing in Budapest. The reigning 800 meter Olympic gold medalist had considered skipping Worlds to prioritize training for the Paris Olympics, and even withdrew from a build-up race at the Ed Murphey Classic in Nashville at the start of the month, keeping her racing schedule light this year. The mere specter of the 21-year-old choosing to not compete on the world stage drew much chatter and some ire from fans a few weeks ago, leading fellow middle distance runner Nikki Hiltz to defend Mu’s potential decision online, writing “Did y’all forget that athletes are humans? Or that there hasn’t been an off year since 2020? Or consider that mental health is real? Some of these speculations are WILD. Leave Athing alone.”
Moral of the story: Mu is doing her own thing on and off the track, and she’s looking fly doing it. Catch her in the next round on Friday evening, lighting up the track with her frosted blue ice princess kicks.
Abby Carney is a writer and journalist in New York. A former D1 college runner and current amateur track athlete, she's written about culture and characters in running and outdoor sports for Runner's World, Like the Wind Magazine, The New York Times, and other outlets. She also writes about things that have nothing to do with running, and was previously the editor of a food magazine.
