Moraa disappointed at missing personal best despite dominant victory at Silesia Diamond League

Commonwealth Games 800m champion Mary Moraa is disappointed not to have recorded her personal best despite winning at the Silesia Diamond League meeting in Poland on Sunday.

Moraa continued her impressive season when she clocked a season's best 1:56.85 to win the 800m race at the Silesia Diamond League meeting in Poland on Sunday.

In what was her third win in as many Diamond League meetings, the Kenyan showed great strength from the start and never left the leading pack until the final 400m when she broke through to beat Ugandan Nakaayi Halimah (1:57.78) and Jamaican Natoya Goule-Toppin (1:57.90) who finished third.

However, Moraa, whose personal best is 1:56.71 recorded at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon feels she could have set a better time even as she aims to take part in the 400m in the Monaco Diamond League on July 21 before embarking on her final preparations for the 2023 edition of the global event in Budapest, Hungary next month. 

“I am so satisfied with the race and the win. I controlled the race from the front. It is a good habit of mine. My aim was to go in front from the starting point and it worked,” Moraa said after Sunday’s race.

“I really wanted a PB (Personal Best) which did not work, but it was still a good improvement. I thank God for everything. At the World Championships, I want to finish on the podium. I will run the 400m in Monaco and then go home to Kenya to train.”

Moraa, who set a national record in the 400m at the National Trials over a week ago, is using the Diamond League to prepare for the World Championship where she is set for a showdown with World and Olympic champion Athing Mu of the United States and Keely Hodgkinson who beat her to gold and silver respectively in the last edition in 2022.

Moraa has already beaten Briton Hodgkinson at the Lausanne Diamond League where she clocked 1:57.43 to cross the finish line as her rival timed 1:58.37 but both runners will still pose a challenge in Budapest.

‘Kisii Express’ also set a world-leading time of 1:55.77 at the Diamond League Meeting in Paris, France last month.