Mary Moraa drops out of Kenyan team to World Relay Championships

Olympic bronze medalist Mary Moraa will not take part in the upcoming World Relay Championships scheduled for Guangzhou, China on 10-11 May.

In a Tuesday, 6 May, statement, Athletics Kenya confirmed that the 24-year-old “will miss the championships due to a visa hitch.”

Moraa, who is the national 400m record holder, had been drafted to compete in the women’s 4x400m and mixed 4x400m events.

This is not the first time Moraa has missed out on the event, following her absence from last year’s championships in Nassau, Bahamas.

Moraa, Omanyala headline World Relays team

Then, Moraa opted out from the mixed relay team, owing to “travel logistics that could have interfered with her Diamond League races.”

The 2023 World Championships gold medalist recently competed at last weekend’s Grand Slam Track leg in Miami, notably outsprinting Nikki Hiltz and Freweyni Hailu to take victory in the 800m women’s short distance.

Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala will, however, be present in Guangzhou, and is one of three Team Kenyan members already in China.

The Commonwealth Games 100m champion is joined by Olympian Zablon Ekwam and coach Simon Riga as part of the team's advance party.

Swiss sprinter to compete at this year's Kip Keino Classic

The rest of the team is expected to jet out of the country to China via Doha on Wednesda, 7 May at 1810 EAT.

Team Kenya athletes have been in residential training at Ulinzi Sports Complex since the national trials on 11-12 April.

Speaking about the team’s preparedness, coach Stanley Towet said: “Training has been smooth from the word go and I have witnessed a lot of improvement in the athletes.

For example, when we started the camp, the athletes were clocking over 12 seconds in the 120m sprints, but this has dropped to 11.5. This gives us hope of performing well in the 4x100m. We have done most of what we expected even though we will tune up once in China to shake off the jet lag and acclimatise.”