Athing Mu, who has won 13 straight races, is the star of American sports.

(cnn) ⸻ Athing Mu is the most exciting athlete in track and field at the moment, having been crowned American champion, Olympic champion and world champion in the distance before the age of 21. She held off a late challenge from Great Britain's Keely Hodgkinson to win gold at the world championships last year, becoming the youngest woman in history to own Olympic and world titles in an individual track and field event. Despite her meteoric rise and remarkable success, Mu is feeling the weight of her past performances. She was scheduled to run at the Millrose Games in New York this month but withdrew several days before the event, saying she wanted to focus on the outdoor season and the upcoming world championships. Mu is determined to keep her streak alive and believes that no matter what happens, the only person affected by the result is herself. Hodgkinson is the most likely to end Mu's streak, having run a world-leading time of 1:23.41 in the 600 meters last month. The 20-year-old Mu is just three months younger than her rival Hodgkinson, and to date holds the bragging rights in their head-to-head over 800 meters. She raced clear of Hodgkinson in the final straight at the Tokyo Olympics, then edged out the Brit after a thrilling sprint finish at the world championships in Oregon last year. Mu and Hodgkinson, who both train under famed track coach Bob Kersee in Los Angeles, may one day see a new world record in the women's 800 meters, as the current mark of 1:53.28, set by the Czech Republic's Jarmila Kratochvílová in 1983, is the longest-standing outdoor world record in track and field. Mu's best time is almost two seconds outside that, but a healthy rivalry might help her on her way. Her height and long, effortless stride make for an elegant running style over middle-distance events, and she has competed in everything from 200 meters up to the mile as a junior and professional. Her 400-meter hurdles world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has said that Mu has so much ahead of her, and that she has been mentored by the recently-retired Allyson Felix. Mu's incredible winning streak has already made the athletics world sit up and take notice. Mu was born in Trenton, New Jersey, a year after her family emigrated to the United States from South Sudan. She grew up watching her siblings excel at track running, and when her chance arrived, she fell in line. She often alludes to her family heritage, carrying both the American and South Sudanese flags when she returned home from the Olympics. Mu hopes to run more events outside her favored 800-meter distance in the future, and there are also the world championships in Budapest, Hungary, to target in August. She is taking it slow and seeing where this year takes her.