The 20-year-old middle-distance phenom already has the world’s best time in the 800 this year. Is a seemingly unbreakable world record next?
EUGENE, Ore. — At the end of every track race, the faces, bodies and souls of weary, drained participants tell the story of a sport where pain is both endured and expected. Some grimace, eyebrows lowered, noses wrinkled, eyes closed, mouths open. Some slump shoulders; or bend over, hands on knees, gasping for air; or collapse in exhaustion.
Then there is Athing Mu, the 20-year-old middle-distance runner from New Jersey who specializes in what’s arguably the sport’s most brutal race.