Dancing queen Mary Moraa to face tormentor Keely Hodgkinson at Lausanne Diamond League Meeting

Mary Moraa wows the crowd during Kip Keino Classic Photo by Eric Baraza

ATHLETICS Dancing queen Mary Moraa to face tormentor Keely Hodgkinson at Lausanne Diamond League Meeting

Abigael Wafula 05:00 - 23.05.2023

Fireworks are surely expected when the duo sets foot on track in Lausanne.

Reigning Commonwealth Games 800m champion Mary Moraa and world 800m silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson will renew their rivalry at the Diamond League Meeting in Lausanne on Friday, June 30.

Moraa and the Briton's last encounter was during the 2023 indoor tour meeting in Lievin where Hodgkinson won the race as Moraa finished second. 

The duo had initially met at the Orlen Copernicus Cup where Hodgkinson also won the race as Moraa faded to finish fourth.

The two also clashed at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham where Moraa destroyed the strong field to win as Hodgkinson settled for second place.

Before the Commonwealth Games, Hodgkinson had edged out Moraa to third place at the World Championships in Oregon as Athing Mu took the top honours in the highly contested race.

Moraa, 22, opened her season with an indoor tour in France where she competed in three 800m races and posted mixed results. She then summed up her indoor tour with an eighth-place finish at the World Indoor Tour Madrid in 2023.

The world 800m bronze medallist then opened her outdoor tour with a win at the fifth Athletics Kenya meet at the Gusii Stadium in Kisii. After the feat, she competed over the 400m at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix where she won emphatically.

She then reigned supreme over the 800m at the just-concluded Kip Keino Classic Competitions held at the Moi International Sports Center in Kasarani.

On her part, 21-year-old Hodgkinson is yet to open her outdoor season but she has had a great indoor season where she has bagged wins in all the races she has competed in. She opened her indoor season with a win over the 600m at the Manchester World Indoor Tour.

She then extended her winning streak to the Birmingham World Indoor Tour Final 2023 before achieving top honours at the European Athletics Indoor Championships.

Fireworks are surely expected when the duo sets foot on track in Lausanne.

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