Track & Field's greatest rivalries: All you need to know about the women's 800 metres at Paris 2024
The women’s 800-metre event has been dominated by three names for the last three years: Mu, Hodgkinson and Moraa.
Athing Mu, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Champion and 2022 world champion.
Keely Hodgkinson, the Olympic and world silver medallist, European champion and owner of the world's fastest time this year.
Mary Moraa, the reigning world champion, who beat both Mu and Hodgkinson at the 2023 world championships.
The stage seemed set for another Mu, Mora, Hodgkinson showdown in the women’s 800m at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
That is, until it was time for the 2024 U.S. Olympic track and field trials.
Silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson of Great Britain, gold medallist Mary Moraa of Kenya and bronze medallist Athing Mu of the United States (left to right) with their medals after the women's 800m final at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on August 27, 2023. Hodgkinson and Moraa will both be at Paris 2024, but Mu failed to qualify for the Summer Games.
Athing Mu falls, does not qualify for Paris 2024
The United States' Olympic trials system is not for the faint-hearted, but it has produced champions time and time again. Mu, herself, knew this taste of victory well.
But a misplaced foot and a split second would end her dreams of tasting that Olympic glory in Paris, as her usual long-stride and mid-pack running proved to be an unlucky combination for the defending champion. She tumbled to the ground in the Olympic trials finals in June, watching the rest of the pack, and her dream, surge away from her.
This is not the first time this has happened to an athlete at trials, and certainly not the first time in the 800m. Think Alysia Montano in 2016.
Mu’s coach, Bobby Kersee, told the Associated Press: “I’ve coached it, I’ve preached it, I’ve watched it. And here’s another indication that regardless of how good we are, we can leave some better athletes home than other countries have. It’s part of our American way.”
“I was really gutted to see her [Athing Mu] fall,” Hodgkinson shared a few weeks later at the U.K. championships. “I want to beat people fair and square.”
All eyes turn to Keely Hodgkinson
With the Olympic champion out of the race, the field is open to anyone. Or is it?
Not if Hodgkinson has anything to say about it.
Hodgkinson, who rode a silver streak at Tokyo 2020 and the 2022 and 2023 world championships, sees this as one less obstacle on her golden journey.
But Hodgkinson has been unstoppable this year. In Eugene, Oregon, at the Prefontaine Classic, she clocked a world’s leading and personal third best time. But this wasn't just a victory — it was a powerful statement as Hodgkinson surged past world champion Moraa, seizing her first win of the season with authority.
June saw her defend her European title, and maintain her 2024 golden streak.
By July, less than one week before the start of the Paris 2024, the Brit proved that she is in the shape of her life by rewriting records at the Diamond League in London. Hodgkinson set a new personal and British record with a stunning 1:54.61, making her the sixth-fastest woman in 800m history, surpassing rivals Mu and Moraa.
Her performance also propelled compatriots Jemma Reekie and Georgia Bell to new personal bests, securing the world-leading second and third times.
Another powerful statement, delighting the home crowd and silencing any remaining doubters.
“I’m feeling really good and confident ahead of Paris," Hogdkinson told the BBC. "Obviously, the main aim is just to get to the final first, and then once we’re there, we can discuss getting medals.”
The spotlight is now on the world-time leader. Can she carry her golden streak all the way to the biggest stage of all?
The rest of the field waits
Although the world lead table may be an all-British affair, the competition is far from decided.
Kenya's reigning world champion Moraa thrives under pressure, digging deep when it matters most. With a resume that includes the 2022 Commonwealth Games title, the 2023 world championship title and a recent gold medal at the Doha Diamond League in May 2024, she’s a seasoned contender ready to better her Tokyo 2020 result.
Jamaica's Natoya Goule-Toppin is determined to extend Jamaica’s track dominance to middle distance, while home favourite Rénelle Lamote leads the charge for the French.
Making their Olympic debuts are two-time US national champion Nia Akins and South Africa’s Prudence Sekgodiso. Both runners have shown immense potential and could shake up the competition in the 800m, a distance that often brings unexpected surprises.
The 800 metres is a fast race — two swift laps around the track where strategy meets speed, and anything can happen.