Budapest 23: Inevitable Moraa becomes World Champion

Think about this - 10 out of 10 wins in the 800m event this season.

First Kenyan woman to win the two-laps World Championship since Eunice Sum in 2013.

That’s the level of achievement that Commonwealth Games champion Mary Moraa garnered Sunday night at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, Hungary as she made her now familiar gritty push to the end, leaving her only challenger - Athing Mu - in her wake, to finally clinch the elusive world title in a personal best time of 1:56.03.

It all looked to be going the old way - Mu gunning off from the start to dominate the entire field - only that Moraa had a secret recipe.

From her memorable tact on the way to winning last year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, there was a similar feel with her move here, only that she opted against staying at the tail of the pack, but put the lanky American in her sights.

At the end of the first lap, Moraa, with her chest out, was now racing on the outer track, almost as if sending a message to the Olympic champion that she was around, and interested in ending her dominance.

Moraa’s face could tell it all as they hit the last bend, and still on the outside of Mu, the world leader cranked up her gear, and let fly, overtaking a clearly knackered Olympic champion before taking a power leap as she crossed the finish line.

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By this time, Olympic silver medalist Keely Hodgkinson had outpaced Mu too, coming in second in a time of 1:56.34, as the latter took bronze clocking a season best 1:56.61.

Men's 500m final.

Elsewhere in the men’s 5000m, Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Jacob Krop gave Kenya its third bronze medal after laboring to a third placed finish in the day’s first track event, and in a time of 13:12.28.

His compatriot - World Cross Country Juniors champion Ishmael Kipkirui - who had bursted to a quick start early in the race, saw his pace fade with every lap, ultimately coming home tenth, clocking 13:21.20.

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Krop - who also holds a World Championships silver medal - was within the leading group all through the race, and it was not until the final 400m when he separated himself, pushing on the outer lanes to finish in behind the eventual winner and defending champion Jakob Ingebrightsen and second place finisher Mohamed Katir.

Ingebrightsen clocked a season best time of 13:11.30 in his title defense, as Katir put up 13:11.44.