Newly crowned World 800m champion Mary Moraa stunned her fans at the National Athletics Center in Budapest, Hungary after becoming the third Kenyan woman to win a gold medal in the women’s 800m race.
Moraa went into the race unbeaten so far this season and Kenyans had hope that she would deliver the third gold medal after Faith Kipyegon’s double victory and Kisii Express did not disappoint.
With the feat achieved, Moraa will walk away with a whooping Ksh 10 million, thanks to her hard work that saw her clock a Personal Best time of 1:56.03. Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson and USA’s Athing Mu finished second and third in respective times of 1:56.04 and 1:56.61.
Moraa was going into the race as Kenya’s sole representative and she knew she had her work cut out. This is after compatriots Vivian Kiprotich and Naomi Korir fell off in the heats.
Moraa now brags about being the latest 23-year-old millionaire in the country since she also went unbeaten in the 800m in the Diamond League Meetings. Winners of the race in the Meetings walk away with $10,000 (Ksh1.4 million) and so far, Moraa has competed in three races and won.
She started off with the Diamond League Meeting in Rabat, Morocco, and proceeded to the Meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland. She then headed to the Diamond League Meeting in Silesia, Poland before heading to the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
With the three wins, she managed to bag Ksh 4.2 million which she will add to her Ksh 10 million won in Budapest.
