Mary Moraa's biography, age, Instagram, height, tribe, career wins, awards, coach

Mary Moraa's biography, age, Instagram, height, tribe, career wins, awards, coach

Ciku Njuguna, Cyprine Apindi
updated at February 13, 2024 at 11:54 AM

Kenya is known for having some of the greatest runners in the world. Mary Moraa is among the top athletes from the country. She specialises in the 400 and 800 metres runs and bagged the gold medal at the World Athletics Championships in 2023. She has won multiple other awards and medals.

Who is Mary Moraa?
Gold medalist Mary Moraa of Team Kenya celebrates winning the Women's 800m Final during day nine of the World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023 at National Athletics Centre. Photo: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

Did you know Mary Moraa is the Kenyan record holder for the 400 metres? Not much was known about the Kenyan athlete until she made her international debut at the World Under-18 Championships in Nairobi. Discover more about her today.

Profile summary

Full name

Mary Moraa

Gender

Female

Date of birth

15 June 2000

Age

23 years (as of 2023)

Place of birth

Obwari, Kisii, Kenya

Current residence

Kenya

Nationality

Kenyan

Tribe

Kisii

Zodiac sign

Gemini

Religion

Christianity

Sexuality

Straight

Height

5 ft 8 in (173 cm)

Weight

121lb (55 kg)

Hair colour

Black

Eye colour

Black

Relationship status

Engaged

Alma mater

Mogonga Mixed Secondary School

Profession

Middle-distance track athlete

Mary Moraa's biography

Mary Moraa is a middle-distance track athlete. She has participated in numerous local and international competitions. In 2023, she won the 800-metre World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

How old is Moraa?

Mary Moraa's age is 23 years as of 2023. She was born on 15 June 2000, and her Zodiac sign is Gemini.

Where is Mary Moraa from?

The middle-distance track athlete is from Kenya, and her nationality is Kenyan. She was born and raised in Obwari, Kisii, Kenya. Mary Moraa's tribe is Kisii.

She was raised by her grandmother after the death of her parents. Mary Moraa's parents died when she was only two.

Mary Moraa's biography
Photo: canva.com (modified by author)
Source: Original

Educational background

The athlete went to a local primary school. She then proceeded to Mogonga Mixed Secondary School, where she participated in athletics, particularly middle-distance running.

Teachers in the school supported her talents and also offered financial support so she could stay in school. She received a full-year scholarship in her fourth year of secondary school. She was grateful for the opportunity and hoped to continue training and participating in various sporting activities even after completing school.

Career

Mary Moraa's professional athletic career began during her third year of high school. She participated in the 2017 IAAF Under-18 Championships in Kasarani, Nairobi. She became the first Kenyan girl to win silver in the 400-metre race.

Commonwealth Champion Janet Jepkosgei Buseinei and former 1500-metre track star Alex Sang are Mary Moraa's coaches. After winning the 800-metre race at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Moraa said her coach had advised her on how to execute the race and given her tips on what to expect.

In 2022, Team Kenya went to the Tokyo Olympics. Moraa narrowly missed participating in the games after finishing third in the qualifying semi-finals. Here is a summary of some of her major competitions.

Year

Competition

Venue

Event

Position

Time

2017

World U18 Championships

Nairobi, Kenya

200 m

400 m

4 × 400 m mixed

22nd (h)

2nd

4th

25.48

53.31

3:24.92

2018

World U20 Championships

Tampere, Finland

400 m

5th

52.94

2019

African U20 Championships

Abidjan, Ivory Coast

400 m

1st

53.57

2019

African Games

Abidjan, Ivory Coast

400 m

4 × 400 m relay

4th

4th

51.97

3:32.93

2019

World Championships

Doha, Qatar

400 m

4 × 400 m mixed

18th

11th

52.11

3:17.09

2021

World Relays

Chorzów, Poland

4 × 400 m relay

4 × 400 m mixed

13th

-

3:39.34

-

2021

Olympic Games

Tokyo, Japan

800 m

15th

2:00.47

2022

World Championships

Eugene, OR, United States

800 m

3rd

1:56.71

2022

Commonwealth Games

Birmingham, United Kingdom

400 m

800 m

4 × 400 m relay

29th

1st

5th

59.51

1:57.07

3:32.28

2023

World Championships

Budapest, Hungary

800 m

1st

1:56.03

Mary Moraa's wins and honours

Below is a quick summary of the athlete's career honours so far.

  • 1x World champion
  • 1x Diamond League Final winner
  • 1x World Championships Bronze medallist
  • 1x Commonwealth Games winner
  • 1 x Diamond Trophy winner
  • 1 x African U20 champion
  • 1 x In Top 8 at Commonwealth Games
  • 1 x In Top 8 at World U20 Championships
  • 2 x National Champion
  • 1 x World U18 Championships Silver medallist
  • 1 x In Top 8 at All-African Games
  • 6 x Diamond League Meeting winner

Who is Mary Moraa's husband?

The Kenyan athlete is yet to get married. However, she is engaged. Richard Lagat, her soon-to-be husband, proposed to her on 19 September 2023 when she jetted back to Kenya from Oregon, United States of America.

Lagat is a former volleyball player. He now works as a coach. He met Moraa in 2021 during the National Police Service passing-out parade in Embakasi, Nairobi.

Mary Moraa's latest news

Following her recent World Championships win in the 800-metre race held in Budapest, Hungary, the athlete is looking forward to more wins. Therefore, she is training hard for the next series of athletic events.

She recognises that running is hard work and sometimes painful. Even so, she is grateful because it has transformed her life.

Mary Moraa's height and weight

The middle-distance track athlete is 5 ft 8 in or 173 cm tall. She weighs about 121lb or 55 kg and has black hair and eyes.

Trivia

  • She is a reserved and shy person.
  • She often likens athletics to being in school, each day with different subjects for the students.
  • She enjoys travelling.

Mary Moraa is a gifted Kenyan athlete who has participated in multiple local and international events. The middle-distance track athlete has won multiple international honours.

Sportsbrief.com recently published Ellie Carpenter’s partner, Daniëlle van de Donk. Carpenter plays for the Australian national team as a defender.

Ellie's partner, Danielle, is a football star from the Netherlands. Danielle has played for several European teams, performing at a high level. She is endorsed by Nike and managed by Tim Vrouw from the Forza Sports Group.

Authors
Ciku Njuguna photo
Ciku Njuguna
Ciku Njuguna is a journalist with 3 year’s experience in content creation based in Kenya. She currently covers sports personnel as well as team biographies.
Cyprine Apindi photo
Cyprine Apindi
Cyprine Apindi is a content creator and reporter with over 4 years of experience based in Kenya. She holds a Diploma in Mass Communication from Kenyatta University.