Olympic 800m bronze medallist Mary Moraa is bracing up for a tough test as she embarks on an ambitious 800m-1,500m double at the Grand Slam Track meet this weekend in Kingston, Jamaica, her first track outing of the season.
Moraa was unveiled as part of the elite women’s short-distance lineup (800m and 1500m) during the launch of the inaugural event—a brainchild of four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson.
The world 800m champion, traditionally a two-lap specialist, has yet to contest a 1500m race but boasts strong credentials over extended distances — Mile and 1,000m.
She impressed in the 1000m last year, securing a podium finish at the Silesia Diamond League with a 2:33.43 run behind compatriot Nelly Chepchirchir (2:32.24) and Britain’s Jemma Reekie (2:32.56).
Her 1000m debut came in 2021 at Belgium’s KBC Nacht van de Atletiek, where she won in 2:34.71.
However, her lone mile attempt in 2018 saw her clock 5:11.0 for 11th place at the Duluth Grandma’s Minnesota Mile.
Moraa is aware of the demands of a middle-distance double and expects a tough battle, but remains undeterred.
“The combination of the two events will be a big challenge for me but I am going to do my best in my first major event of the season,” Moraa remarked on her Facebook page.
Her confidence comes after rigorous training,g which she believes gives her the edge for the task ahead.
“What I can tell my fans is to wait for the results because my body is responding well,” she added.
The Grand Slam Track Series introduces two athlete categories— the ‘Racers,’ confirmed for the season and the ‘Challengers,’ who aim to earn full-time ‘Racer’ status in the next season.
Moraa is set to face a stacked field led by 2024 World Indoor 1500m silver medallist Nikki Hiltz (USA), who further boasts gold from the 2019 Pan American championships over the distance. Also in the mix is Olympic 1500m champion Jess Hull and World 1500m silver medallist Diribe Welteji.
Among the confirmed ‘Challengers,’ Moraa will be joined by fellow Kenyan Olympian Susan Ejore. They will square off against the likes of Jamaica’s 2018 Commonwealth 800m bronze medallist Natoya Toppin, USA’s 2021 NCAA 1500m silver medallist Sage Hurta-Klecker and Heather MacLean.
Despite the challenge that comes with the new event, Moraa exuded excitement ahead of her first track race of the season since her second place finish at the Athlos meet in September 2024.
“I’m ready for my first track race of the season,” she affirmed.
Other Kenyans headed t o the event are— Ronald Kwemoi (3000m/5000m) and Olympic 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi (Challenger, short distances), World 10k record holder Agnes Ngetich (women’s long distances) and Hellen Ekalale (Challenger, long distances).
Next
in the series will be Miami (May
2-4), Philadelphia (May 30- June
1), and Los Angeles (June 27-29).
