Nairobi — Commonwealth Games 800m champion Mary Moraa says her major headache in 2023 is to medal at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary after a fruitful 2022 in which she also clinched bronze in Oregon.
Moraa said it is too early to predict a gold medal win for her but that her minimum target is to make the podium like she did at last year's World Championships in the United States.
"This year, my major target is to compete at the World Championships in Budapest. I am not really thinking about winning gold rather my immediate concern is making it to the podium. That is what I have been working on even as I was competing in the World Indoor Tour," the world bronze medalist said.
It has been a blissful start for the 2019 national 400m champion who clocked a personal best of 2:00.61 at last month's Lievin World Indoor Tour meeting in France - finishing second to Briton Keeley Hodgkinson who timed a world lead of 1:57.71.
It did not end well for Moraa though as she finished eighth in the ultimate leg of the World Indoor Tour in Madrid, Spain, clocking 2:02.85 in a closely-contested 800m race.
For the 22-year-old, however, her indoor season was the perfect opportunity to right the wrongs of last year, which she admitted she struggled a lot with her speed.
"The season has just started...according to the training I have done, the major issue to work on has been speedwork. At least, the Indoor season provided a great opportunity to do that. There is still more work to do (on speedwork) even as I focus on my long-term goals," she said.
Moraa added: "Usually, it is the coach who identifies these weaknesses and work on the same after the race. So, I wouldn't say that there are particular issues that I have identified because it is the coach who has the experience and is knowledgeable on the same."
Approximately 72 hours after competing in Spain, the 2017 World Under 18 400m silver medalist led her National Police Service team to victory in the women's 4x400m relay at the Athletics Kenya (AK) Track and Field Weekend Meeting at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi.
Moraa credited the win to teamwork among the quartet.
"We talked to one another before the race and agreed on a strategy to place the fastest among us at the start and finish of the race. I am glad we won," she said.
