800 metres, Women

Track & Field News noted in their Olympic preview that it was unusual to select a teenager as the favorite, but such was the strength of 19-year-old American Athing Mu that they picked her as the top choice for the 800 metres. Behind her other favorites were the Brits Jemma Reekie and Keely Hodgkinson and Cuba’s Rose Mary Almanza.

The only surprise of the heats and semis was that Almanza failed to get out of the third semi-final when she finished fourth. Britain qualified three runners for the final with Alexandra Bell joining Reekie and Hodgkinson, while Mu was joined by her American teammate Raevyn Rogers.

The final saw Mu take the lead as the runners broke for the rail off the first turn, followed by Jamaican Natoya Goule. Mu continued to lead to the bell, running a solid pace, but not blazingly fast, at 57.82 for the first lap. Mu increased the pace on the penultimate turn, opening small gaps among the finalists.

Mu was never passed. On the final turn she stepped it up and opened her margin, having a comfortable lead on the straight as she won gold in 1:55.21, negative splitting her race at 57.82 / 57.39. Behind her, Hodgkinson won silver with a British record of 1:55.88 while Rogers put two Americans on the podium with her bronze medal in a time of 1:56.81.

Mu’s gold medal at age 19-057 made her the second youngest woman to win the Olympic 800, after Kenya’s Pamela Jelimo in 2008 at age 18-256. Mu would add a second gold medal a few days later when she anchored the USA women to gold in the 4 x 400 relay.