April 19, 2024

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Mary Moraa
Moraa only started specializing in the 800m in 2021
Hosts: Birmingham Dates: July 28 to August 8
Cover: Watch live on BBC TV with additional streams on BBC iPlayer, the Red Button, the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport mobile app. Listen to BBC Radio 5 Live and Sports Extra. live text and clips online.

Kenya’s Mary Moraa crushed the Anglo-Scottish duel of Keely Hodgkinson and Laura Muir to win 800m gold at the Commonwealth Games.

The 22-year-old world bronze medalist showed devastating speed down the home straight to overtake Hodgkinson, winning in one minute 57.07 seconds.

Scotland’s Muir took bronze by a hundredth of a second ahead of Jamaica’s Natoya Goule.

Muir will have another shot at glory in Sunday’s 1500m final.

However, Hodgkinson said she was “gutted” to miss out on her chance to claim a first international title in front of a home crowd.

“I’m not sure what happened, it went so fast,” the world and Olympic silver medalist told BBC Sport.

“The first lap I went a little hard, maybe I could have been a little more patient.

“There are positives, but I want gold, that’s why I’m angry. I wanted to stand on top of that podium in front of my audience.

“Unfortunately I walked away with a silver again. But I have one more chance.”

Hodgkinson, like Muir, is part of a large British squad that travels to Munich for the European Championships next week.

Keely Hodgkinson and Laura Muir
Hodgkinson was the first to congratulate Muir after the latter endured a nervous wait to learn that Jamaica’s Goule had bronze.

They, like the winner, will no doubt revisit this action-packed match before they get to Germany.

Moraa initially appeared to misjudge her pace, pulling away from the pack in the opening 300m before slowing around the bell.

But there was still plenty of bite in her legs and, as Hodgkinson and Muir looked to turn up the pressure 200 meters from home, Moraa followed them and found a gear past the two.

As Hodgkinson and Muir hit the track after the line, Moraa gleefully broke out a celebratory jig for the TV cameras.

Apart from US Olympian and world champion Athing Mu, Moraa is the only athlete to beat Hodgkinson over 800 meters this year.

He triumphed in Stockholm in June with a similarly ferocious kick from home and the former 400m specialist, who only changed up to two laps last year, looks set to make Mu and Hodgkinson’s rivalry a three-handed drama.

“My God, these girls are fast,” Muir told BBC Sport after finishing in 1:57.87, 0.47 seconds behind Hodgkinson.

“I was in fourth place with 100 meters to go and I was like ‘no way’.

“Guys, that’s why if coach tells you to run to the line, you run to the line.”

Earlier in the evening, Jamaica’s Janiev Russell kept her cool to defend her 400m hurdles title as compatriot Roussel Clayton went out fast and faded even faster. Clayton finished fourth, one place ahead of England’s Jessie Knight

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