A strong close to season for Moraa
Kenyan wins second Diamond League title in three years with 800 victory in Brussels
Mary Moraa of Kenya was an exception to the rule when it came to her performance on the first night of the Diamond League Final in Brussels on Friday.
While many of the top female performers in the world appeared to be tired and worn out at the end of a long season while competing in cool and damp conditions in the Memorial van Damme at King Baudouin Stadium, Moraa was the lone athlete in the women’s meet who set a season best.
Moraa’s winning time of 1 minute 56.56 seconds in the 800 meters bettered her previous yearly best of 1:56.71, was the second fastest of her career, and marked the fifth time she has run under 1:57 in the event.
It also left her well ahead of second-place Georgia Bell of Great Britain, who timed 1:57.50. Natoya Goule-Toppin of Jamaica finished third in 1:58.94, with Rene Lamote of France credited with the same time in fourth place.
Moraa, last year’s World champion, had finished third in the Olympic Games in Paris in August, but in her four races since then she had won a pair of 800-meter races, finished third in a 1,000, and set a world best of 1:21.63 in the 600.
She was a good five meters behind pacesetter Noelle Yarigo of Benin when Yarigo came through 400 meters in 56.22 seconds on Friday, but she was in the lead heading down the backstretch after Yarigo dropped out.
Bell had pulled slightly ahead of Moraa when she came through 600 meters in 1:27.5, with compatriot Jemma Reekie in third in 1:27.8.
The 24-year-old Moraa stayed right behind Bell for the next 75 meters before swinging to the outside of her and launching a kick for which the Olympic bronze medalist in the 1,500 had no response.
Reekie, who had lowered her personal best to 1:55.61 in a Diamond League meet in London on July 20, eventually finished fifth in 1:59.13.
The victory gave Moraa her second Diamond League title in three years after she had placed fourth in last year’s finale that was held in the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon.
“I’m so happy to get the trophy back after I lost it last year,” Moraa said in quotes on the meet website. “It was a hard competition, so I’m proud of myself for getting the Diamond back.”
The 30-year-old Bell was very pleased with her performance as she had quit running in 2017 before returning to the sport in 2020. She began this season with personal bests of 2:03.38 in the 800 — from 2014 — and 4:12.16 in the 1,500, but has now run 1:56.28 in the former and a British record of 3:52.61 in the latter.
“I tried to give myself the best shot of racing Mary but you know she is finishing so strong,” Bell said. “The track is so fast and I am happy that we are still running 1:57 this late in the season. Honestly, this season has been incredible. I have never done a Diamond League before May.”
While Moraa produced the lone season best in the seven events that were contested in the women’s meet on Friday, Olympic champions Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic, Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine, and Valarie Allman of the U.S. capped undefeated seasons with victories in the 400 meters, high jump, and discus, respectively.
Paulino clocked 49.45 seconds in the 400 to finish well in front of second-place Alexis Holmes of the U.S., who ran 50.32. Olympic silver medalist Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain originally finished third in 50.64, but she was disqualified for running out of her lane. Rhasidat Adeleke of Ireland, who ran 50.96, moved up to third place when that happened.
Although Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of the U.S., the two-time Olympic champion and six-time world record-setter in the women’s 400 hurdles, won an invitational section of the 400 in 49.11, she was not eligible to race for the Diamond League title because she had not competed in any of the 14 previous Diamond League meets this season.
Paulino won her second consecutive Diamond League title with her victory and capped a season in which she won all eight of the finals in which she ran. In addition, the 2023 World champion has now won 11 consecutive finals dating back to last year.
“I ran a decent race at the end of a very long season,” she said. “Of course I would have loved to run faster and closer to my personal best, but it was really, really cold tonight.
“This season was fantastic for me. With the golden medal in Paris, I can say now that I won all the titles that I could win… that doesn't mean that I don't have any goals left for the next seasons. I want to become better and still win medals at the major championships.”
Mahuckikh had finished second to Nicola Olyslagers of Australia in the high jump in the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, in March, but her victory in Brussels gave her seven victories in as many meets during the outdoor season, as well as her second consecutive Diamond League title.
She and Olyslagers both cleared 1.97 meters (6 feet 5 inches), but Mahuchikh was awarded first place because she cleared that height on her first attempt and Olyslagers made it on her second.
Fellow Ukrainian Iryna Gerashchenko placed third at 1.92 (6-3).
Mahuchikh, who had broken a 37-year-old world record when she cleared 2.10 (6-10¾) in the Meeting de Paris on July 7, made 1.88 (6-2), 1.92 (6-3), 1.95 (6-4), and 1.97 (6-5) on her first attempts on Friday. She and Olyslagers both passed at 1.99 (6-6) before they each missed three times at 2.01 (6-7).
“Finally the season is over, I'm exhausted. But I have my diamond and it was important for me and my country that I won today so that I can take the diamond back home to Ukraine,” she said. “I felt a lot of support and energy from my home country this season and with the results, it couldn't have been better. But now I'm ready to go back home.”
Allman, who had won her second consecutive Olympic title in Paris, had a top throw of 68.47 (224-7) in Brussels to finish nearly a meter ahead of Olympic silver medalist Bin Feng of China, who had a best of 67.49 (221-5). She was followed by Yaime Perez of Cuba at 66.96 (219-8).
Allman’s victory was her 11th of the season without a loss and it gave her a fourth consecutive Diamond League title. It was also her 15th consecutive win since American teammate Lagi Tausaga upset her for the gold medal in last year’s World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
“I feel so happy, I really dreamed of a season like this, I really didn't think it would be possible to have an undefeated season,” she said. “I just fought really hard and I have such an amazing team and we just made the most of every opportunity. I just have so many great memories of this season. Brussels was the last one and it was the hardest one to prepare for, you know the Diamond League is a set of competitions that we really focus on and value and I got my fourth trophy and I'm just so happy. I knew the competition would be intense being only six competitors. And now offseason! I really can't wait for your fries, waffles and chocolate!”
In the three other women’s events contested Friday, Olympic champion Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia won the 100 meters in a race in which reigning World champion Sha’Carri Richardson of the U.S. finished eighth, Sarah Mitton of Canada placed first in the shot put, and Leyanis Perez Hernandez of Cuba won the triple jump.
Olympic silver medalist Richardson had defeated Alfred for the second time in three races this season in the Weltklasse meet in Zurich on Sept. 5. But Alfred, just as she did in the Olympic final, took a significant lead over Richardson after the first 30 meters of the rematch and then overtook quick-starting Dina Asher-Smith of Great Britain during the last third of the race in which she clocked 10.88 seconds to the Brit’s 10.92.
Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith of Cote d’Ivoire finished third in 11.05 and Richardson placed eighth — and last — in 11.23 after easing up during the final 20-25 meters of the race when it appeared she had no chance at a top-three finish.
The time by Richardson, the yearly world leader at 10.71, was her slowest since she ran 11.25 to finish third in a meet in Padova, Italy, in September of 2022.
Mitton won the women’s shot put with a best of 20.25 (66-5¼) while two-time reigning World champion Chase Jackson of the U.S. placed second at 19.90 (65-3½) and Olympic champion Yemisi Ogunleye of Germany finished third at 19.72 (64-8½).
Mitton was regarded as a gold-medal contender entering the Olympic Games as she had won the World indoor title in March and produced a yearly worlding-leading put of 20.68 (67-10¼) in May. But she finished 12th in Paris with a best of 17.48 (57-4¼).
She had puts of 19.31 (63-4¼) and 19.33 (63-5) in the first two rounds on Friday before hitting her 20.25 (66-5¼) winner on her third attempt.
Perez Hernandez only had one fair jump in the triple jump, but her second-round effort of 14.37 (47-1¾) held up for the victory as Olympic silver medalist Sharieka Ricketts of Jamaica placed second at 14.22 (46-8), followed by compatriot Ackelia Smith at 14.11 (46-3 ½).
You can click here for complete results from Friday.
You can here for an event schedule and start lists for today’s meet.