Athing Mu is undoubtedly a top contender whom the USA will look for glory in the women’s 800m event in Paris. The Tokyo Olympic gold medalist has already proved her legacy as the youngest woman in history to hold Olympic and world titles in an individual track and field event. Amid the hopes surrounding her in this Olympic season, the US 800m contingency seems to have got another contender for the future.
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The USA has some incredibly well-to-do collegiate track and field programs that continue to produce extremely talented athletes. Many of these stars go on to bring unending glory and honor to the nation on international stages. Keeping with that, LSU junior Michaela Rose came up as a rising star with her commendable performance recently.
A recent post on X (formerly Twitter) by the official LSU Track and Field account shared the remarkable achievement attained by junior Michaela Rose. At the Bryan Clay Invitational, Rose reached a new milestone and etched her name into school history. With her 1:58:37 run in the 800m, she set the new LSU record. Alongside, she also notched the No. 2 time in collegiate history while also joining Athing Mu as the only collegiate runner to ever go sub-1:59 in the 800m. The attached video (see the post below) showcases the student’s prowess with gusto. However, this is not the first time that Rose has come to the light this season.
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Michaela Rose's new LSU record and No. 2 time in collegiate history, joining Athing Mu as the only collegiate runners to ever go sub-1:59 in the 800m… 🥹
⏱️ 1:58.37#GeauxTigers | 💻 FloTrack pic.twitter.com/Wu35h82Yno
— LSU Track & Field (@LSUTrackField) April 12, 2024
Michaela Rose has given fabulous performances one after another since the beginning of the season. In the very first 600m dash at the Corky Classic in Birmingham, she clocked 1:16.76 breaking a 41-year-old collegiate record by Delisa Walton. Since then, she has been on a winning spree. All these brought her the SEC Women’s Runner of the Week for the third time this season last month. But this time, it was special. Her getting closer to Olympic gold medalist Mu did not skip fans’ eyes as they flocked to the comments section.
Fans anticipate Olympic future for Rose
Rose’s performance naturally made the enthusiasts envision the Olympic appearance for her in the future, as Billy Siemmers pointed out in their comment:
This early in the season? She’s got Olympics, not just NCAAs, in her near future
— Billy Siemers (@BSiemers1993) April 12, 2024
For Jonathan, the thought of just how exciting the Olympic Team Trials are going to be is making him smile. And that is not overhyping. This season Rose clocked the fastest season-opening time in collegiate history at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational. She clocked 1:59.49 which is just seconds away from Athing Mu’s 1:58.40 time in 2021.
Also did not realize that Elise Cranny — yes, reigning US 10k champ Elise Cranny — was in this race. 5th in 2:02.90 in her season opener.
Looking like Cranny will target 1500/5k at Olympic Trials this year.
— Jonathan Gault (@jgault13) April 13, 2024
Another fan thinks it’s her indoor setback that gave the kickstart to the guts Rose needed ahead of the Olympics. The user was referring to NCAA women’s indoor 800m last where she finished second.
after that loss for indoors, she’s coming for 1:58
— trapstar🛸 (@thecr3ator11) April 13, 2024
For good reasons, Rose’s comparison with Athing Mu came up repeatedly. Mu holds the 800 meter USA collegiate record with a time of 1:57.73. But Boong thinks it’s only a matter of time before it is broken.
She’s gonna best that 1:57:73
— boong (@boong3019) April 12, 2024
A user Raegon also marveled at how the dynamic of the sport has changed over the years.
1:58 this early? scary times
— Raegon I 𐚁 (@ororosfire) April 12, 2024
What did you think of Rose’s sprint? Share your thoughts with us!
Written by
Edited by
Bhujaya Ray Chowdhury