Commonwealth Games 800m champion Mary Moraa has vowed to perpetuate her momentum on the track after clinching the women’s 800m race at the Rabat Diamond League on Sunday.
Fondly known as ‘Kisii Express’, Moraa obliterated a rich field at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat to breeze to victory in 1:58.72 ahead of Australian Catriona Bisset (2:00.11) and American Sage Hurta-Klecker (2:00.62).
Sunday's time revealed a significant improvement in her performance compared to last year's Diamond League in Rabat, where she clocked 1:58.93.
The 23-year-old Kenyan track sensation attributed her triumph in the North African nation to countless hours of practice.
"This was my second outdoor race of the year after the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi. I'm excited, quite happy with my performance," Moraa said.
"The result is certainly what I had anticipated because even before the race, I was confident that I was in good enough shape to cruise to victory," Moraa remarked.
In a cut-throat race with obstinate competitors, Moraa admitted she expended enormous energy and pounded her legs hard on the track indefatigably to fend off an abrasive challenge.
"It was a tough race. At the end of the day, there was a lot of lactic acid that built up in my legs. Gladly, I'm still fine and fit enough to run another race anytime soon."
Moraa's next major assignment on the international stage will be at the Meeting de Paris in France — the fourth event of the Diamond League 2023 season — which will be held at the Stade Charléty on June 9.
"I plan to return home to fine-tune my skills upon finishing the Lausanne Diamond League in Switzerland on June 30," she said.
At the Kip Keino Classic at Moi Stadium, Kasarani track in Nairobi, two weeks ago, she won the race in an impressive 1:58.83.
Moraa has been on a demolition spree since April this year when she smashed her way to victory in the women’s 400m race in 50.44 at the Botswana Grand Prix.
She has now pledged to assert authority at August’s World Championships in Budapest, Hungary where she will be training her sights on a podium finish.
"My objective at the Budapest World Championships is to win a medal, nothing else. From my performances this far I believe I can pull off something great for the country in Budapest," she remarked.
She set a new PB of 50.44 in April after storming the 400m title at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix, where she obliterated a stellar field that boasted Jamaican Candice McLeod and Ametican Kyra Jefferson.
The sublime performance she pulled off in the blistering contest saw her smash her previous national record of 50.84 which she set at the national trials for the World Championships and Commonwealth Games on June 25, last year at the Moi Stadium, Kasarani.
Moraa subsequently attained the World Athletics Championships qualifying standard of 51.0 seconds.
