Mary Moraa sets new national 400m record

Commonwealth 800m champion Mary Moraa lowered her national 400m record after cruising to victory on day one of the 2023 World Athletics Championships trials held at Nyayo National Stadium.

Moraa, stopped the clock after 50.38 seconds setting a new record, hardly two months after setting the initial one during the Botswana Golden Grand Prix on April 29.

She led from gun to tape at Nyayo, finishing ahead of Mercy Okech of the Kenya Defence Forces who clocked 52.22 seconds with Maureen Thomas finishing third in 52.76 seconds.

Reacting to the new national record, the world 800m silver medalist said she wasn’t anticipating for it despite riding on the form of her life.

“I am happy to break my own record. I wasn’t expecting to break it neither did it cross my mind as the weather conditions were not the best,” she said.

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Despite hitting the qualification time for Budapest for the second time in the year, Moraa, a 800m specialist, remains undecided on whether she will go for double glory in the worlds.

She however fancies medaling in her specialty for the second time having scoped bronze in Oregon.

“I leave it for the panel to decide. If they decide I do a single event ill be okay with it. My target is to make to the 800 podium,” she added.

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This was the fourth time the Kenya Police Service athlete was shattering the national record. She first lowered the record during the 2021 World Athletics trials held at Kasarani Stadium where she timed 50.84

Moraa smashed her record in Brussels on September 2 last year, on a day when she made history by becoming the first Kenyan to compete in a 400m race in the Diamond League.

She would later lower her time in Botswana earlier in the year where she clocked 50.44 seconds.