Kenyan Moraa makes Olympic team in women’s 800m

Kenyan Moraa makes women’s 800m Olympic team

JOHANNESBURG, June 14 (ANA) – Kenya’s Mary Moraa this weekend notched up an Olympic qualifying time in the women’s 800m.

Moraa won the Sollentuna Grand Prix in Sollentuna, Sweden, in a time of 1:59.25 to take victory in the women’s 800m.

Benin’s Noel Yarigo was second in 2:00.57 and Germany’s Katherina Trost was third in 2:00.67.

The women’s 800m Olympic qualifying time is 1:59.50, and the 20-year-old had been knocking on the door of earning her ticket to Tokyo this season.

Moraa ran a 1:59.95 at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland on May 29.

It will indeed be a strong Kenyan contingent in the women’s 800m in Tokyo, with Eunice Sum, Emily Cherotich and Faith Chepng’etich already qualified.

Moraa’s coach Alex Sang told Kenyan publication Daily Nation: “Initially, we had challenges of getting races after I moved her from 400m to the two-lap race,” said Sang. “We are so delighted that she has finally managed.”

Sang said it had been a long journey to qualification for his athlete.

“She started running 800m posting a couple of 2:06 times in 2019, but came the coronavirus which ruined things in 2020,”

Despite dropping the baton for Kenya in the 4x400m mixed relay at the World Relays on May 1, Sang his star runner had to remained focussed on the big picture.

“We had to talk to her after the disappointing performance where she fell and dropped the baton as Kenya was disqualified. It was important for her to stay focused to realise our Olympic plan.” – African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Michael Sherman