Kenya's Mary Moraa reacts after crossing the finish line to come in first in a heat of the women's 800m semi-final during the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon on July 22, 2022./Jewel Samad | AFP
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World Championships: Mary Moraa eases into 800m final

July 23, 2022
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Kenya’s Mary Moraa glided into the women’s 800 metres final in the World Championships Oregon22 early Saturday morning.

Moraa won the first semi-final in 1:59.65 after leading from gun-to-tape with American Ajee Wilson taking second place in 1:59.97 to claim the second automatic slot to the final.

Kenya’s Mary Moraa reacts after crossing the finish line to come in first in a heat of the women’s 800m semi-final during the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon on July 22, 2022.

English youngster Keely Hodgkinson clocked a scorching 1:58.73 to win the second heat ahead of veteran Jamaican Natoya Goule while American Raevyn Rodgers was third to claim on of the two non-automatic qualifying slots.

Naomi Korir finished last in the third semifinal in 2:03.08 to miss out on the final. America’s Olympic champion Athing Mu won the heat in 1:57.12 to qualify along side Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji (1:57.16) with Anita Horvat (1:59.60) sneaking through.

Athing Mu of Team United States reacts after competing in the Women’s 800m Semi-Final on day eight of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 at Hayward Field on July 22, 2022 in Eugene, Oregon./Steph Chambers | AFP

Moraa will be fancying her chances of making the podium in Monday morning’s final after Kenya failed to get a medal in the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar where Eunice Sum finished fifth.

Moraa has nine sub two minutes including her personal best of one minute and 57.45 seconds set at the Kenyan trials on June 24, a few days after winning her maiden Diamond League in 1:58.93 in Rabat on June 5. She finished fourth at Rome Diamond League in 1:59.26 on June 9.

Kenya’s Mary Moraa reacts after crossing the finish line to come in first in a heat of the women’s 800m semi-final during the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon on July 22, 2022./Jewel Samad | AFP

Kenya’s Jarinta Mawia bowed out of the championships after she finished fifth in the heats after clocking 2:02.35.

Since the inception of the championships in 1983, Kenya has only won two gold edals in the women’s 800 metres Janeth Jepkosgei in 2007 Osaka and Eunice Sum in 2013 Moscow.

Kenya also has two silver medals through Jepkosgei from 2009 Berlin and 2011 Daegu games while Sum settled for bronze in 2015 Beijing.

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