Olympic 800mbronze medallist Mary Moraa is optimistic about better results at the 2025 Tokyo World Championships.
Moraa clocked 1:57.42 to secure bronze in Paris behind Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson (1:56.72) and Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma (1:57.15) at the Paris Olympics.
The 24-year-old middle-distance star is optimistic about delivering even stronger performances on the global stage.
“From Paris, I am going back to the drawing board and very soon I promise good results in the coming championships,” she stated.
The Tokyo Games are set for September 13-24, 2025 with the women’s 800m qualification mark set at 1:59.00. The qualification period runs from August 1 to August 24, 2025.
Reflecting on her Paris performance, Moraa emphasised the significant progress she’s made since her last Olympic appearance in Tokyo.
“It has been a long time since the Tokyo Games. I trained hard to ensure that this time my performance would be better,” she stated.
At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Moraa was eliminated in the semifinals after placing third in heat three with a time of 2:00.47.
Although her sights were set on gold in Paris, Moraa is content with securing a podium finish.
“My target going to Paris was to win gold. I can't complain about that because an Olympic medal is a huge deal for me,” Moraa remarked.
Moraa credited her coach, Alex Sang, for the pivotal role he has played in her success at the Olympics.
“My coach has been key to my progress. He has helped me overcome my disappointment in Tokyo to succeed in Paris. I was aiming for gold in Paris but the coach told me a podium finish would be okay," she said.
Meanwhile, African silver medallist Lilian Odira is also setting her sights on a stronger performance in Tokyo after missing out on the Paris Olympic finals.
Odira finished fourth in her semifinal with a time of 1:58.53, just missing the two automatic qualifying spots.
“I am looking forward to the Tokyo Championships. I already qualify. I have to work hard to ensure I am in the team for the World Championships and be able to do better in Tokyo,” she said.
Making her Olympic debut, Odira highlighted her experience in Paris as a learning curve.
“It was a nice experience. I thank God I was able to make my Olympic debut. I was not able to make the finals but I lowered my time which is a good improvement for me,” she stated.
She is optimistic of featuring in the 2028 Los Angeles Games hoping to have built up enough experience before then.
“My ultimate target is to ensure I make the next Olympics and hopefully produce better results in the global stage,” she noted.