The only real surprise when the US track and field roster for the Paris Olympics came out on Tuesday was who didn’t make the list: Athing Mu.
Although the middle-distance runner didn’t qualify at the US Olympic trials to defend the 800m title she won at the Tokyo Games, she was under consideration for a spot in the relay pool. Instead, one of the biggest names in track will be left on the sideline for Paris 2024, which start later this month.
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As expected, Noah Lyles, Sha’Carri Richardson, Gabby Thomas and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone are on a US track and field roster that boasts more than 100 athletes. The US squad includes four reigning Olympic champions: Ryan Crouser (shot put), McLaughlin-Levrone (400m 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 400m at trials, and sprinter Christian Coleman are in the relay pool.
Mu missed out on a chance to make the team in the 800m when she got tangled up and tumbled to the track in the final at the US 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 4x400m relay at the Tokyo Olympics.
Lyles will be the man to catch in the 100m and 200m. He won both events at the world championships last summer in Budapest, and helped the US capture the 4x100 title. Kenny Bednarek will also be competing in both sprint competitions.
It will be the Olympic debut for Richardson, the reigning 100m world champion. She missed the Tokyo Games because of a positive marijuana test. Richardson will be the sprinter to beat in Paris.
Karissa Schweizer and Grant Fisher both earned spots in the 5000m and 10000m. There was some shuffling that took place coming out of the trials, with Elle St Pierre electing to concentrate on the 1500m and scratch the 5000m. The spot went to Parker Valby, but the runner from the University of Florida decided that she would focus on just the 10000m. That led to Whittni Morgan getting the spot in the 5000m after taking fifth at trials. Morgan has made a fast recovery after undergoing a patellar tendon debridement procedure in November.