Dancing track queen Mary Moraa returns to inspire future champions at her former school

©Mary Moraa Facebook

Dancing track queen Mary Moraa returns to inspire future champions at her former school

Festus Chuma 07:00 - 19.10.2024

World 800m champion Mary Moraa visited her former high school inspiring students with her incredible athletic journey.

Reigning world 800m champion Mary Moraa spent some time at her former school, Ibacho High School, on Friday where she received a warm welcome from both students and teachers.

The 23-year-old Commonwealth Games champion took a nostalgic trip down memory lane as she reconnected with her roots and shared some heartfelt moments with her former educators and students.

During the visit, Moraa was greeted by excited learners who were thrilled to meet the national hero.

In a touching moment, she recalled her days at Ibacho where she spent her formative years before transferring to another institution to pursue her athletic career.

Moraa expressed her joy and pride in visiting the school that laid the foundation for her success.

"Quite nostalgic moments, beautiful memories when I visited Ibacho High School where I studied form one and two," Moraa posted on her social media.

"It was heartwarming meeting the school's Principal, Douglas Moroti, and teachers besides interacting with the students," she added.

Mary Moraa's journey to becoming a world champion has not been without challenges.

Orphaned at the tender age of two after losing both her parents, Tom Basweti and Margaret Otwori, she was raised by her elder sister Nyaboke.

She also has a brother, Nicholas Mbegera, now 26, and a younger sister, Celestine Kemunto, who was just six months old when their parents passed away.

Despite these personal hardships, Moraa found solace and direction in athletics, a passion that would ultimately transform her life.

In 2015, she joined Ibacho High School, where Principal Zablon Oginda recognized her athletic potential and enrolled her in the boarding section.

However, Oginda knew that Moraa’s talents needed better nurturing so he arranged for her transfer to Mogonga PAG Secondary School which had a strong athletics program under Principal Haron Onchong'a, an experienced athletics coach.

This move proved crucial for Moraa, allowing her to receive the mentorship and training she needed to excel in the sport.

It was not long before Moraa’s star began to rise and in 2017, she was selected by Onchong’a to compete in a weekend athletics meeting in Nairobi where she faced off against some of Kenya’s top athletes including Maximilla Imali in the 400m event.

Her performance caught the attention of national coaches, and soon after, she was competing at the World Athletics Under-18 Championships in Nairobi, where she won silver in the 400m.

Moraa’s 2024 season was spectacular as after setting a 600m world best at the ISTAF meet in Berlin, she went on to dominate the Diamond League circuit with wins in Zurich and Brussels.

She concluded her season with a second-place finish behind Diribe Welteji Duguma at the Athlos NYC event.

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