'I couldn't stay calm' - Mary Moraa after meeting American sprint legend
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Reading Time: 3min | Tue. 08.04.25. | 22:00
While meeting Johnson was the highlight of her trip, Moraa had a tough run on the track
800m sensation Mary Moraa was over the moon after meeting American sprint legend Michael Johnson. The two met over the weekend at the inaugural Grand Slam Track in Kingston, Jamaica.
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Moraa took to her social media handles to express the great news.
“Now, this one was big. I couldn't stay calm. When you finally meet a sprint legend, you are lost for words. You can only smile, tap into his words of wisdom.
Michael Johnson, the four-time Olympic champion, who also holds eight world titles...yes, 8!!” she posted.
While meeting Johnson was the highlight of her trip, Moraa had a tough run on the track. She clocked 2:00.97 in the 800m to finish last in a race won by American Nikki Hiltz, who set a personal best of 1:58.23.
Adding to her woes, Moraa was forced to withdraw from the 1,500m due to a recurring medical condition, resulting in just one point in the Short Distance category of the Grand Slam Track format.
However, she did not leave empty-handed as the event had something for all eight athletes who competed in the six categories, which have two races each.
She still walked away with Ksh1.3 million from the event, which will perhaps be a motivation for the subsequent legs with the series moving to Miami, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles.
“I came to Kingston hoping to stage standout performances in the Short Distance races- 800 m and 1,500m- at the Grand Slam Track.
Unfortunately, that will not happen since I am forced to withdraw from the second race- 1,500m- and the entire event tonight because of a recurring medical condition,” the world 800m champion announced.
In her absence, Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji clinched the 1,500m in 4:04.51, with Kenya’s Susan Ejore and Hiltz taking second and third, respectively.
Despite the tough outing, Moraa remains optimistic that she will return stronger at the next leg of the series in Miami, set for Friday 2 to Saturday, 4 May.
“I would like to thank the organizers of the event, especially legendary Michael Johnson, for the wonderful initiative and invitation. I hope to recover and bounce back on time for the next event in Miami, USA,” she added.
Throughout his career, Johnson consistently dominated his events, winning almost every time he took to the track.
For approximately one decade, Michael Johnson held the world records in the 200 meters, 400 meters, and indoor 400 meters, as well as the world's best time in the 300 meters and the world record for the 4 by 400-meter relay.
He is still a world record holder for the 4 x 400-meter relay. In 2004, Johnson was voted into the United States Track & Field Hall of Fame.
Moraa, on the other hand, won a gold medal at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, a bronze medal in the event at the 2022 Worlds, got eliminated in the Tokyo Olympics semifinals, and chalked up gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
She claimed bronze during the Paris 2024 Olympics when she clocked 1:57:42.
