Kenya: How Moraa Plots to Defend World Title in Tokyo Championships

25 June 2025
Capital FM (Nairobi)
By Alex Isaboke

Nairobi — Despite being inconsistent in her performance since she won the World title in 2023, Mary Moraa is confident of defending her women's 800m crown at the World Championships slated for Tokyo in September.

Moraa has a wild card by virtue of being the defending champion and says she will only compete at today's national trials at the Ulinzi Sports Complex to inspire the young athletes.

Since 2023, Moraa won bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games before winning the diamond league title the same year, then this year, (2025) she competed at the Grand Slam in Jamaica where she did not excel.

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However, she is confident she will be at her top form to face the best in the globe.

"I have trained well, and ready for the national championships. Nationals are tough because everyone will be competing for a slot to represent Kenya at the World championships," Moraa said.

"We have talented upcoming young athletes, so I will be glad to compete alongside them because they are the future, I have been competing in 400m and 800m and I know I will not run forever," she added.

Moraa is coy of plans to smash the long-standing women's 800m world record of 1:53.28, set by Jarmila Kratochvílová of Czechoslovakia on July 26, 1983, in Munich.

Moraa has a Personal Best of 1:56.03 clocked on the 27th August, 2023 in Budapest to win the World title-her first.

"Anything can happen in a race and if you have set the mind you are going to run that time, it's possible. Whoever will break the world record it might be me or someone else, it will be good," the 25-year-old said.

-Mweresa on World Champs medals-

Meanwhile, 400m runner Boniface Mweresa who led Kenya to qualifying to a first ever men's 4x400m at World Championships in Tokyo, believes that they need to work hard to bring the medals home.

"The target is to go and win a medal. If I qualify for the individuals (400m) it will boost my chance of winning two medals," said Mweresa.

Commenting on the Nationals Trials, Mweresa is looking forward to improving on his seasonal best.

"I think for the first time this season I've seen in 400m we have nine guys running sub 46, in 100m we have like 12 people running sub 10.5, in 200m, people are running 25 or 27 minutes, something that has never happened," he narrated.

Ahead of the event, Athletics Kenya received Ksh8 million sponsorship boost from KCB Bank to bolster the federation's sports calendar for 2025.

Read the original article on Capital FM.

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