© Copyright – 2024 – Athletics Illustrated
Kenyan Mary Moraa won the African Games 400-metre sprint in the time of 50.57 on Wednesday in Accra, Ghana.
The 2023 Budapest World Athletics gold medallist in the 800m event ran within 19 seconds of her personal best of 50.38 from her July 7, 2023 performance in Nairobi’s Nyayo National Stadium.
The field was not fast for a regional championship as Moraa — an 800m specialist — dropped all competitors hard over the final 50m.
The moment Mary Moraa clinched that 400m African Games title 🇬🇭
— Lynne Wachira (@WachiraLynne) March 20, 2024
Watch how she accelerates on that final stretch. pic.twitter.com/XhyDzGW2tx
Last summer’s win was her first global championships. Previously she had been beaten by American Athing Mu and Brit Keely Hodgkinson.
As the 23-year-old ran 50.57 on the first day of spring, it is early in the season. But her performance is a good sign pointing to better performances toward summer.
Mu’s personal best is 49.57 and Hodkinson’s is 51.76. Mu has the fastest 800m pb of 1:54.97. Hodkinson has run 1:55.19, and Moraa is third among the three with a best of 1:56.03.
It was a personal best performance for 20-year-old Nigerian Esther Elo Joseph who finished second in the time of 51.61. Sita Sibiri set a new national Burkina Faso record with her 51.74 finish taking third place.
The African Games was the first event of 2024 for Moraa. Meanwhile, both Mu and Hodgkinson have yet to start their respective seasons.
The world record remains at 47.60 from 1985 when East German Marita Koch set the standard in Canberra.
