Olympic 800m champion Athing Mu-Nikolayev announced on 15 October that she and her husband, Yegor Nikolayev, are expecting their first child. Sharing the news on Instagram, she wrote: "Baby on board. Can't wait to meet our little Sunshine!" Fellow athletes including Noah Lyles, Hunter Woodhall and Masai Russell were among those who congratulated the couple, who married on 8 March 2025. No due date has been given.
The announcement follows a difficult spell on the track. Mu tore a hamstring about six weeks before the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, fell around 200 metres into the 800m final in Eugene, and finished ninth in 2:19.69, missing the Paris Games. She returned in 2025, finishing last in the Prefontaine Classic 800m in 2:03.44 in July, then running 1:59.79 at the USATF Outdoor Championships on 1 August, where she placed fourth in her semi-final and failed to reach the final. That remains her last competitive appearance, and she has not raced at all in 2026.
Her coaching situation changed in the interim. Bobby Kersee, her coach of around three years, said she was still dealing with nagging pains and was not fully herself after returning, and the pair ended their relationship in December 2025. Mu has not publicly said who, if anyone, is now coaching her, or whether she intends to return to competition.
The timeline for any comeback would be tight but not unprecedented. Based on photographs she has shared, speculation suggests the baby could arrive in early 2027, which would leave roughly 16 to 18 months before the Los Angeles Olympics, scheduled for 14 to 30 July 2028. Mu has not confirmed any target, and the due date is an inference from the images rather than an official figure, so any timeline should be treated with caution.
Mu won the Olympic 800m title in Tokyo in 2021 and was the sport's rising star for several seasons. Whatever she decides, the announcement shifts the conversation from the injuries and form that defined her last two seasons to a more personal chapter, and the sport will be watching to see whether she follows other mothers back to elite competition ahead of LA 2028.