•The sprints queen says training has been interesting despite the Covid-19 situation as she has been able to rub shoulders with the local big wigs
•Her track experience as a senior was tested during the All Africa Games in 2019 in Morocco, finishing 4th in the finals.
Image: Emmanuel Sabuni
Image: Emmanuel Sabuni
World Under-18 400m silver medalist, Mary Moraa is seeking to put her decision to shift to the 800m to test during the Kip Keino Classic scheduled for October 3 at Nyayo Stadium, Nairobi.
Moraa, who now trains in Elgeyo Marakwet under Global Sports Communication, noted that she wants to use the Continental Tour to gauge her self ahead of next year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
She said while her focus is on the 800m, she will decide later whether to double up at the Summer Games with 400m the other option. She said sprints are underrated locally, but she wants to prove a point to the Kenyan audience.
“I am ready to run the 800m during the Kip Keino Classic. The Continental Tour will help me gauge my speed and endurance after the long coronavirus break,” said the Kisii-born runner.
The sprints queen says training has been interesting despite the Covid-19 situation as she has been able to rub shoulders with the local big wigs while sticking the the Ministry of Health protocols.
Global Sports Communication camp features, among others, world marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge, world half marathon record holder Geoffrey Kamworor, former world 3,000m steeplechase champion Hyvin Kiyeng and Olympic 1,500m champion Faith Kipyegon.
“My training has been very good with a lot of support from my training-mates. Today, I managed to complete 19km as part of my endurance training and I am very encouraged. I know I have the speed but endurance is the key in the new race,” she stated.
Before the Kip Keino Classic, Moraa is hoping to be part of the Test Run planned for September 12.
“I am ready for the test run. I believe in myself. I am sure I will make the cut for not only the Continental Tour but also Olympic Games later next year,” she said.
Moraa was planning to be part of the World Under 20 show earlier planned for last month in Nairobi but after postponement to next year due to coronavirus, she has been forced to sit out due to age factor. Her Diamond League debut last May in Doha, Qatar was also messed up by the virus.
The new dates for the World U-20 are August 17-22, 2021 and will feature athletes aged 16, 17, 18 or 19 years by December 31, 2021. This means the Mogonga alumna will be one year older and thus ineligible.
“I am now a big mama and I will not run. My focus is on other things now,” she added. Moraa finished fourth in 400m at the 2018 World U-20 Championships in Tampere, Finland.
“I started my 800m journey at the Athletics Kenya (AK) meeting in Eldoret, finishing third. I won the second meeting in Nairobi with my best time of 2:03 minutes locally. With such time, I am sure I can compete against the best on the international stage,” she noted.
Her track experience as a senior was tested during the All Africa Games in 2019 in Morocco, finishing fourth.
“It was the best experience running with seniors. I was too scared of competing with the big names but I remained firm and battled to fourth-place finish,” she said.
Her debut at the World Championships, in Doha last year, ended in the semi-finals after picking up a knee injury.