Watch video highlights as Texas A&M freshman Athing Mu smashed to the NCAA DI 800m indoor record on her way to setting a world U20 record, with a 1:58.40 clocking at the 2021 Southeastern Conference Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Saturday (27).
Mu, who has been one of the marquee performers all season, raised the bar even higher over the weekend when she destroyed her rivals to remove more than half a second from the previous mark of 1:59.03, which was set a month ago by Keely Hodgkinson of Great Britain in Vienna.
Watch Mu Posting 1:58.40 At 2021 Southeastern Conference Championships
The performance by the 18-year-old also broke the collegiate indoor record of 2:00.69 set in 2017 by former Texas A&M national champion Jazmine Fray.
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“Like I’ve said before, she might be the greatest freshman athlete in any sport ever at Texas A&M and maybe the greatest collegiate freshman athlete in the sport of track & field,” Aggies coach Pat Henry said. “I’ve never seen a freshman accomplish the things that she has achieved and we’re not even done with the season.
“They are going to replay the broadcast of the championships and they’re going to interview her, if you want to find out what kind of young lady she is then you might want to watch that broadcast replay.
“She’s a great Aggie, in our meetings she is always on me to say a couple of things about certain things and she loves to hear “Remember who we are, we’re Texas A&M”, she loves that and it tells you a lot about that young lady.”
Prior to Saturday’s performance, Mu’s personal best in the 800m was 2:01.07, which she ran in College Station, on 16 January 16.
The American’s mark also set a new Randal Tyson Track Center facility record and an Southeastern Conference Championships meeting record.
