Athing Mu, 18, was supposed to spend her summer at the Olympics. But after the Tokyo Games were postponed until July 2021, she found herself stuck running the streets of Trenton, New Jersey, where she lives, with no track meets to look forward to. Last year, Mu broke the American indoor women’s record for 600 meters, and many consider her to be the fastest female teen in America. Although the Covid-19 pandemic may have upended her plans, the delay could benefit her in the long run, experts say. She’ll get an extra year of training, which will be especially helpful when she has to compete against runners with a lot more experience. Plus, she says, she’s finally able to just enjoy running for the sake of running, rather than worrying about races. “This whole time period of uncertainty,” Mu says, “it’s time to mentally get yourself together and physically get yourself ready instead of rushing everything.”