Meet Tanzanian athlete drawing inspiration from top Kenyan talents

ATHLETICS Meet Tanzanian athlete drawing inspiration from top Kenyan talents

Abigael Wafula 11:37 - 05.02.2024

23-year-old Tanzanian athlete Grace Charles has disclosed that Mary Moraa is among the two women inspiring her for glory in the world of athletics.

Tanzanian athlete Grace Charles is keenly looking to follow in the footsteps of Kenyan athletics stars Mary Moraa and Hellen Obiri.

Moraa is the reigning World and Commonwealth Games 800m champion, titles she scooped after displaying class in the championships. After her great performance last year, she made history by becoming the third woman to claim the gold medal in the 800m at the World Championships.

As for Obiri, the US-based Kenyan is the Boston and New York City Marathon champion, titles she won last season. She is also a two-time World 5000m champion and World 10,000m silver medallist.

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Charles also disclosed that in Tanzania, she looks up to Gabriel Geay, one of the greatest marathoners Tanzania has ever produced. She also singled out Magdalena Shauri as one of the women who inspires her.

“My role models in Tanzania are Gabriel Geay and Magdalena Shauri. In Kenya, I look up to Obiri and Mary Moraa. I have competed against Moraa during the Police Championships in Rwanda sometime back,” Charles said.

The Tanzanian made her comeback into competitive running this season at the Sirikwa Classic Cross-country where she was position 41, clocking a time of 39:18 to cross the finish line.

Considering that her last competitive race before the cross-country was back in 2020, she is slowly making a comeback to the track, roads, and cross-country.

She was a headline maker back in 2020, competing on home soil and upsetting her opponents there and she hopes to extend the winning streaks to the international scene.

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