Mary Moraa wins 800m world title in Budapest
Kenya's Mary Moraa reacts after winning the women's 800m final during the World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest on August 27, 2023.
What you need to know:
- Moraa’s victory ended Kenya’s decade-long wait for the title that Eunice Sum won for the country last in 2023 Moscow.
- Moraa, who had won bronze last year in Oregon, USA, relegated Hodgkinson, the Commonwealth Games silver medallist, to silver medal once again in 1:56.34 as Mu settled clocked 1:56.61 for bronze.
Commonwealth Games 800metres champion Kenya’s Mary Moraa is the new world 800m champion.
The 23-year-old Moraa recaptured the title for Kenya after a decade when she stunned defending world champion Athing Mu from United States of America (USA) and world silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson from Great Britain to win.
Kenya's gold medallist Mary Moraa (centre), Britain's silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson (left), and USA's bronze medallist Athing Mu celebrate with their national flags after the women's 800m final during the World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest on August 27, 2023.
Moraa stayed behind Mu, who hit the halfway mark 54.60 before turning on the screws on home straight, overtaking the American to win in a new personal best time of one minutes and 56.03 seconds.
Moraa's previous lifetime best mark of 1:56.71 was set at the world championships in Oregon, last year.
Kenya's Mary Moraa celebrates after winning the women's 800m final during the World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest on August 27, 2023.
Moraa’s victory ended Kenya’s decade-long wait for the title that Eunice Sum won for the country last in 2023 Moscow.
Moraa, who had won bronze last year in Oregon, USA, relegated Hodgkinson, the Commonwealth Games silver medallist, to silver medal once again in 1:56.34 as Mu settled clocked 1:56.61 for bronze.
The lanky American had led from the start with Moraa and Hodgkinson keeping tabs on her.
Kenya finished the championships with 10 medals; three gold, three silver and four bronze medals in Budapest.
After claiming a surprise bronze in 800m at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, United States of America, last year, Moraa helped Kenya recapture the women’s 800m title at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Great Britain.
The 23-year-old Moraa, who comes from a family of two brothers and two sisters, lost her parents Tom Basweti and Margaret Otwori when she was two-years-old. Their last born, Celestine Kemunto, was six months old.
The 2019 season redefined Moraa’s athletics career as she moved from 400m to 800m after the world championships in Doha.
Kenya's Mary Moraa celebrates after winning the women's 800m final during the World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest on August 27, 2023.
After winning the Africa Under-20 400m title in Cote d'Ivoire in April, Moraa settled for second place behind Hellen Syombua at the trials for Africa Games in June but would claim her maiden national 400m title in 400m in August.
She was the only Kenyan to reach the final in 400m at the Africa Games in Rabat, clocking a 2019 Doha world championships qualifying time of 51.75 in the semis before finishing fourth in 51.97 in the final.
In Doha, Moraa finished ninth in the semis, failing to qualify for the final.
