Trenton Celebrates 19-Year-Old Olympian Athing Mu's Gold Medal, Record-Breaking 800m Run

TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) -- Trenton is ecstatic over Olympic runner and hometown girl Athing Mu's gold medal run at the Tokyo Olympics.

The celebrating inside the YMCA in Trenton was so loud Tuesday morning, Mu might have heard the cheers from Tokyo. Friends, family, coaches and supporters of the 19-year-old track phenom gathered to watch her win Olympic gold in the 800 meters, easily leaving her competitors in the dust.

"She likes to run from in front and that means that no one can bridle her and that is the message that we want to get out to our children," said Samuel Frisby, CEO of the Capital Area YMCA. "No one can bridle them, and that was the kind of electric feeling that was in that room today."

Trenton Track Club founder Al Jennings is one of Mu's coaches and started working with her when she was 11. He was not at all surprised by her dominating performance.

"She showed more talent than any athlete I've ever coached," Jennings said. "We're talking about 50-60 years of athletes coming through."

Appearing in her very first Olympics, the Trenton High School graduate also set a new American record for the event, inspiring other young runners to dream big and put in the work.

"This means a lot. It almost feels like she did it for us and the gold medal just represents what you can do coming from this area," said 17-year-old Shamali Whittle, Mu's friend and fellow runner.

Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora is also celebrating Mu's achievement, writing in a statement, "Trenton makes champions and the whole world got to see it today."

Gusciora announced on Twitter that the Trenton Makes Bridge will be lit up in red, white and blue to honor Mu's showstopping achievement.

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