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The legendary sprinting coach Bobby Kersee has made headlines this year for decisions about two of his signature athletes: 400-meter hurdles world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Athing Mu, the reigning Olympic gold medalist in the 800 meters.

On August 2, Kersee told the Los Angeles Times that Mu was considering skipping the World Championships later in the month. He provided few reasons: she’s not injured, but Kersee emphasized that he wants to ensure that the 21-year-old is prepared for next year’s Paris Olympics. “It’s in our control if we decide we’re just going to go ahead and train through this year and focus on next year, then that’s what we’re going to do,” he said.

There’s surely a lot of stress on Mu, and at her young age, it’s likely not going away anytime soon. “Coming into these meets, whether it’s a small competition, big competition, there’s just so much pressure just overall,” she said at the USATF Championships in July. “You know, you’re overthinking your race days before you’re even out there. So I mean, just the overall pressure that you feel when it comes to competing is a lot and so I think, you know, the past few years have been a lot for me.”

The next week, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone announced on Instagram that she would be sitting out the World Championships because of injury: “I need to take care of a minor knee issue so that I can be fully healthy for next years’ Paris Olympics,” she wrote. “I look forward to seeing everyone back on the track soon!” This came after Kersee and McLaughlin-Levrone decided that she would only run the open 400 meters at the meet, instead of her signature event—the 400-meter hurdles.

Instinctively, fans began speculating why two of track and field’s brightest stars could both skip the biggest meet of the year in favor of next year’s Olympics. The Olympic Games are undoubtedly the pinnacle of any track athlete’s career, and with only a four year window, athletes have limited time to cement their legacy.