National 800m champion Lilian Odira says the best is yet to come after storming to her maiden world title over the two-lap race in Tokyo on Sunday.
Odira clocked a championship record of 1:54.62 on the final day of the event to clinch gold ahead of Britain’s Georgia Bell (1:54.90) and Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson (1:54.91), who settled for silver and bronze respectively.
World U-20 champion Sarah Moraa finished an impressive fourth in 1:55.74, while defending champion Mary Moraa faded to seventh in 1:57.10.
With Odira’s triumph, Kenya’s medal haul rose to 11 (seven gold, two silver and two bronze), behind the US (26 medals).
She joined a glittering cast of Kenyan world champions from Tokyo, including Beatrice Chebet (10,000m and 5,000m), Faith Kipyegon (1,500m), Emmanuel Wanyonyi (800m), Faith Cherotich (3,000m steeplechase), and Peres Jepchirchir (marathon).
Odira, who described the victory as both surreal and humbling, said her focus has already shifted to defending her crown in the next edition.
“Getting such a title is a big thing and you have to be able to defend it. We are going back to sit with my coach and plan for my next events,” she said.
The 26-year-old admitted she had not expected to strike gold in Tokyo.
“Coming here, I did not expect to be a world champion. My main target was just to reach the finals. It is a great honour to win this title,” Odira added.
The Kenyan trio had entered the race targeting a podium sweep.
“We came in with the mindset of all three of us medalling. We thank God the title is back in Kenya because Mary had won it in Budapest,” she said.
Moraa had claimed the world crown in 2023, clocking 1:56.03 in Budapest.
Odira revealed the trio had also walked onto the track with a well-rehearsed race plan.
“We worked as a team. We knew Mary was strong over 400m, so she was to set the pace. From there, the best athlete would emerge,” she explained.
The new world champion credited her success to her stellar 2025 season, which she said was born out of careful planning after the Paris Olympics.
“My season has been amazing. After Paris, we sat down with my coach and drafted a plan for 2025. I began with cross country, then built up patiently,” she said.
Odira first announced herself on the big stage at the Paris 2024 Olympics, donning the national colours for the first time.
She bowed out in the semifinals after finishing fourth in her heat in 1:58.53, behind Hodgkinson (1:56.86), South Africa’s Prudence Sekgodiso (1:57.57) and American Nia Akins (1:58.20).
She carried the lessons into 2025, where her rise has been meteoric.
On August 16, she made her Diamond League debut at the Silesia meeting, finishing second to Hodgkinson, who clocked a world-leading 1:54.74, as Odira slashed her personal best to 1:56.52.
Her intent was clear in Tokyo even before the final, winning her semifinal heat in 1:56.85 ahead of Switzerland’s Audrey Werro (1:56.99) and Australia’s Jessica Hull (1:57.15).
Odira reserved special praise for her coach, Jacinta Muraguri, whom she credits with transforming her career.
“We started from scratch. She has built me into a world champion. She has been like a mother, a mentor, and a source of motivation,” Odira said.
Despite surrendering her crown, Mary Moraa expressed pride in Odira's ability to keep the title in the country.
“I am really happy about the final and proud that we retained the title. I told Lilian I would go out fast, so she needed to keep up with me,” Moraa said.
Meanwhile, Sarah Moraa hailed her performance on her senior debut.
“Making my first senior Championship was really special. I did my best, lowered my personal best and ran against the world’s best athletes,” she said.
Elsewhere, Mathew Kipsang missed out on the men’s 5,000m podium, finishing 11th in 13:03.67.
Olympic champion Cole Hocker of the USA claimed gold in 12:58.30, with Belgium’s Isaac Kimeli (12:58.78) and France’s Jimmy Gressier (12:59.33) taking silver and bronze.
