About the only real surprise when the U.S. track and field roster came out Tuesday was who didn’t make the list: Athing Mu.
Although the middle-distance runner didn’t qualify at U.S. trials to defend her 800-meter Olympic title, she figured to be under consideration for a spot in the relay pool. Instead, one of the biggest names in track will be left on the sideline for the Paris Games, which start later this month. Mu had been recovering from a torn hamstring leading into trials.
As expected, Noah Lyles, Sha’Carri Richardson, Gabby Thomas and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone were all on a U.S. roster that boasted more than 100 athletes. The U.S. squad includes four reigning Olympic champions in Ryan Crouser (shot put), McLaughlin-Levrone (400-meter hurdles), Katie Moon (pole vault) and Valarie Allman (discus).
Quincy Wilson, a 16-year-old high school student from Maryland who turned in dazzling times to finish sixth in the 400 meters at trials, and sprinter Christian Coleman are in the relay pool.
Mu missed out on a chance to make the team in the 800 when she got tangled up and tumbled to the track in the final at the U.S. Olympic trials two weeks ago. She wound up finishing last in the race. Mu was a key member of the team’s gold-medal win in the 4×400 relay at the Tokyo Olympics.
Lyles will be the one to catch in the 100 and 200. He won both events at the world championships last summer in Budapest, Hungary, along with helping the U.S. capture the 4×100 title. Kenny Bednarek also will be competing in both sprint competitions.
It will be the Olympic debut for Richardson, the reigning 100-meter world champion. She missed the Tokyo Games in 2021 because of a positive marijuana test. Richardson figures to be the sprinter to beat in Paris.
Karissa Schweizer and Grant Fisher both earned spots in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter races.
There was some shuffling that took place coming out of the trials, with Elle St. Pierre electing to concentrate on the 1,500 meters and scratch the 5,000. The spot went to Parker Valby, but the runner from the University of Florida decided that she would focus on just the 10,000. That led to Whittni Morgan getting the spot in the 5,000 after taking fifth at trials. Morgan has made a fast recovery after undergoing a patellar tendon debridement procedure in November.
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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
