Athing Mu Adopts New Identity After Secret Wedding To Little-known Husband

Athing Mu has changed names to reflect her marriage to Yegor Nikolayev.

Athing Mu Adopts New Identity After Secret Wedding To Little-known Husband

Joel Omotto 10:40 - 14.04.2025

Former Olympics champion Athing Mu has all but ended speculation over her marital status after adopting a new name.

Former Olympics 800m champion Athing Mu may not have confirmed rumours that she secretly got married but she has now ended that speculation.

Mu was reported to have had a secret wedding in March when she walked down the aisle with her secret prince charming but the American runner has never talked about it.

The 22-year-old is believed to have married Russian athlete Yegor Nikolayev in March although the date and venue of the wedding remains a secret.

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However, the 2022 world champion has now ended the speculation after updating her profile which reflects her new marital status.

Athing Mu now identifies herself as Athing Mu-Nikolayev, having adopted her husband’s name, joining a long list of female athletes, past and present, who adopted their partner’s names after getting married.

The 2023 800m bronze medalist joins the likes of Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith and her training partner Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone among female athletes who took on new identities after getting married.

Mu got engaged last September, less than three months after her heartbreaking experience at the US Olympics trials, when she missed a ticket to defend her title at the Paris 2024 Games.

She had an unfortunate fall while leading the 800m final and missed out on a place in the top three. She filed an appeal, which was rejected, leaving her in tears.

She had her bridal shower in February before the secret wedding in March and she is now back in training preparing for the 2025 season where the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan in September will be her main focus.

Nikolayev is a 36-year-old former Russian middle-distance runner, who has featured in 1,500m, 3,000m and 5,000m, and represented his country in 1,500m at the 2012 London Olympics.

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