Mu falls at US trials, will not defend Olympic 800m title

:Athing Mu will not defend her Olympic 800m title in Paris after she fell during the final at the U.S. trials on Monday and finished last.

Nia Akins came home first in one minute, 57.36 seconds while Allie Wilson took second (1:58.32) and Juliette Whittaker was third (1:58.45).

Mu, the world champion in 2022, had not competed for nine months when she arrived at the U.S. trials due to a lingering hamstring issue but had shown no signs of rust in the opening stages.

She got off to a steady start on Monday and was running with the pack at about the 200m mark when she tripped and went crashing to the ground.

It took Mu a few seconds to regain her composure and resume the race but the damage was already done and she was unable to catch the rest of the field.

She crossed the line in 2:19.69 before leaving the track in tears.