Commonwealth Games 800 metres champion Mary Moraa Sunday blew away the field to set a new meeting record with victory at Silesia Diamond League in Poland.
Moraa, who won the Rabat and Lausanne legs of the Diamond League, upheld her unbeaten run this season, to win in a season’s best of one minute and 56.85 seconds.
After pacesetters led the pack through the bell at 57.08, Moraa held off the challenge from the 2019 world champion Uganda’s Halimah Nakaayi and Natoya Goule-Toppin from Jamaica to break the meeting record of 1:58.28 set by American Ajee Wilson last year.
It was Moraa’s second sub 1:57 minutes race and second career best time after she claimed bronze at last year’s World Athletics Championships in Oregon in 1:56.71.
Moraa, who is preparing for the World Athletics Championships next month in Budapest, Hungary, edged out Nakaayi to second place in a national record and personal best time of 1:57.78.
Goule-Toppin settled for third in 1:57.90.
“I am so satisfied with the race and happy with the win…it was my intention to control the race from the front and a good habit for me,” said Moraa, who was targeting to improve her personal best.
“It didn’t work but it was still a good improvement and I thank God for everything.”
Moraa hinted that she will run the 400m race in Monaco. However, it wasn’t a good evening for other Kenyan athletes who played second fiddle in the men’s 1,500m, men’s 3,000m steeplechase and women’s 3,000m.
Nevertheless, most ran career best or season best times especially in the men’s 1,500m where the top finishers returned personal best times.
Olympic 1,500m champion Jakob Ingebrigsten from Norway was simply in a class of his own, clocking 3:27.14 to break his own European record and set a new career best and meeting record.
Kenya’s World Indoor 800m bronze medallist Abel Kipsang settled for second in 3:29.11 as World Under-20 800m champion Reynold Kipkorir romped home third in 3:30.30. Their compatriot Victor Kibet, the 2021 World Under-20 800m champion, came sixth in 3:31.28.
Olympic and world 3,000m steeplechase champion Soufiane El Bakkali from Morocco ruled the roost, winning in a meeting record of 8:03.16.
Commonwealth Games champion Abraham Kibiwott timed 8:08.03 for second with Leonard Bett coming third in 8:09.45.
Africa Games 5,000m champion Lillian Kasait came second in 3,000m behind Ethiopian Freweyni Hailu of Ethiopia, who won in a meeting record of 8:26.61.
