Athing Mu is used to pressure — and hearing her name mispronounced

Athing Mu wins a heat in the women’s 800 meters at the Tokyo Olympics on Friday. “I’m sure everyone saw my face,” Mu said after winning in 2 minutes, 01.10 seconds at Olympic Stadium. Like ‘Moo.’ I don’t even know, but it was terrible.” Mu, 19, took it in stride but she said it was a common occurrence. “It hasn’t stopped.” By the end of these Games, the world could know her name, which she said was phonetically pronounced, “uh-thing-moe.” The New Jersey native, the daughter of South Sudanese parents, is regarded as a favorite to win the United States’ first gold medal in the 800 meters since 1968. “I think I’ve learned, like, no matter how many times you say something, there’s always going to be someone that’s going to mess it up,” she said.