Mary Moraa, a Kenyan athlete, has dedicated her World Athletics Championships bronze medal to orphans in her native town of Obwari in Nyamira County.
Moraa, the lone Kenyan in the final, finished Kenya’s campaign in Eugene, Oregon, with a bronze medal, her first since advancing to the seniors.
She won the bronze medal in the early hours of Monday, giving Team Kenya a solid finish to the Oregon championships.
Finished the race in one minute and 56.71 seconds, holding off Ethiopian Diribe Welteji.
“I have run well. I like the performance I have done. I am happy,” Moraa told the media shortly after the race, which was won by Olympic Champion American Athing Mu at 1:56.30 ahead of Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson.
The 22-year-old accomplished it in style, recording a new Personal Best time of 1:56.71, a lifetime best for the second time in less than a month, having done it at the National Trials last month.
“I dedicate this bronze to all the orphans from my village in Obwari, I have been without parents since 2002, so this is for them,” a tearful Moraa said.
Moraa, who won her maiden Diamond League event in Rabat, Morocco, before claiming Stockholm’s leg, urged Team Kenya to embrace teamwork if the women’s 800m is to return to the nation.
“I am happy with my performance because I was competing alone as Team Kenya. It was a tough race; the competition was hard. I did a lot of training this season, I thank my coach and my predecessors Janeth Jepkosgei, Pamela Jelimo, and Eunice Sum for the advice,” Moraa outlined.
“When we train hard and work as a team, we will close the gap and bring the medal back to Kenya, but the way things are now, we have a long way to go because we don’t work as a team everyone is for herself,” she added.
“If you look at Ethiopians, they run as a team, not like Kenyans, for example, I was alone in the final as a Kenyan, so I had to give my all because there was no one to team up with or sacrifice one to make sure one wins a medal.”
Her running technique changed after the heats, as she stormed to victory.
“The coach has really helped me in changing my running tactics, he told me to control my body until I get to the final. We did not have a physio for Kenya, that too contributed to our dismal performance, like for me after every race I had to dip myself into the ice but that is not as good as a massage.”
She hopes to make amends in the Commonwealth Games, which begin in a few days in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
“I will go to Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games, Kenyans should expect good performance from us, we know the competition will be tough, but we will push hard,” said Moraa.
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She appreciates the spiritual support that her followers have provided despite the fact that she has been reading their goodwill messages on social media.
“They should keep on supporting us, not give up on us, I promise them that I will go back to training maybe next year in Budapest for the World Championships or 2024 Olympics I will win gold,” Moraa said.
