‘Ask not what your country can do for you but what your country can do for you’ goes a famous saying by former American President JF Kennedy.
Kenyan athletes live by this mantra and keep flying the country’s flag high in international competitions.
Mary Moraa, an athlete who specialises in 800 and 400 metre races has dazzled this year.
Mary Moraa has had an inspiring year, crowned by her gold medal in the 400m at the 2024 African Games.
She also earned bronze at the Paris Olympics, a marked improvement from her 2020 Tokyo Olympics performance, where she didn’t advance past the semi-finals.
Determined to make history as the first Kenyan to win the Olympic 800m title since Pamela Jelimo’s victory in 2008, Moraa has successfully transitioned from the 400m to becoming a world-class 800m specialist.
Out of the 10 major races she participated in last year, she finished first in eight of them including the World Athletics Championships, Budapest 2023.
Moraa posted her personal best of 1:56.03 in Hungary with the runner’s up, Keely Hodgkinson clocking 1:56.34.
Some of her other honours include; Diamond League Final winner, World Championships Bronze medallist, Commonwealth Games winner and Diamond Trophy winner.
Away from the tracks, Moraa is a police officer attached to the National Police Service (NPS).
She was enlisted in the Administration Police Service as a Police Constable in 2021.
Moraa serves under the Rapid Deployment Unit responsible for emergency response.