Mary Moraa has earned a bronze medal in the women’s 800m final at the Paris 2024 Olympics, clocking 1:57.42. She finished behind Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson, who claimed gold, and Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma, who took silver.
Moraa, running comfortably behind Hodgkinson at the 400m mark, was overtaken by Duguma in the final stretch, just before crossing the finish line. Hodgkinson’s victory marks a significant achievement, improving on her silver medal from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics where she finished behind Athing Mu.
Moraa’s journey to the final showcased her impressive form this season. Despite facing tough competition from rivals including Hodgkinson and Duguma, she demonstrated her prowess. Moraa’s Olympic campaign began with a strong performance in the first round, where she finished second behind Duguma. She then won her semifinal with a remarkable time of 1:57.86, ahead of Worknesh Mesele of Ethiopia.
Heading into the final, Moraa was Kenya’s sole representative in the 800m, aiming to replicate the gold medal win last achieved by Pamela Jelimo in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Unfortunately, her compatriots Lilian Odira and Vivian Chebet were eliminated in the semifinals.
Odira had a promising start, finishing third in her first-round heat with a time of 1:58.83. However, she missed the final after clocking a personal best of 1:58.53 in the semifinal but finished fourth.
Chebet struggled in the first round, finishing fifth. Although she advanced through the repechage with a second-place finish, she faltered in the semifinal with a time of 1:59.64, ending her campaign in eighth place.
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