Mary Moraa explains decision to visit former High School
Reading Time: 3min | Mon. 21.10.24. | 09:20
Moraa shared her experiences, encouraging the young talents to stay focused, work hard, and believe in their dreams
Kenya’s 800m World Champion Mary Moraa recently paid a heartfelt visit to her former school, Ibacho High School, in Kisii County, where she had spent her first two years of secondary education.
The visit was a moment of reflection and inspiration for the 2022 world bronze medalist, who has risen to global prominence in track and field.
During her visit, she interacted with the teachers and students, including the school’s principal Douglas Moroti.
She shared her experiences, encouraging the young talents to stay focused, work hard, and believe in their dreams.
Sharing on her social media handles, the 800m star described her return to the school as a deeply nostalgic experience.
"Quite nostalgic moments, beautiful memories when I visited Ibacho High School where I studied Form One and Two. It was heartwarming meeting the school's Principal, Douglas Moroti, and teachers, besides interacting with the students,” she posted.
During her visit, Moraa shared her journey and the lessons she has learned along the way.
She emphasized the importance of education and how sports can be an enabler for success.
"Beautiful, energetic souls. Having some fun with students after I spoke to them on the need to put education first and use sports as an enabler. Education and sports are a perfect, winning team," her post continued.
Her visit to the school was a powerful reminder of her deep connection to her roots, which makes her journey even more remarkable. Growing up in a tough environment, she faced many challenges that shaped her resilience and determination.
She was 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.
She started running after discovering that her mother, who died when she was only two, was a runner.
For her, running was the only way to keep her mother's memory alive.
Like most of the children growing up in the village, Moraa ran to school as a young girl.
The six-kilometer commute was tough and long, but it turned out to be the perfect training ground for her track career, which would peak in high school.
While her running talent earned Moraa an education bursary, the teen still had to do menial jobs like working on farms to earn her upkeep.
Having witnessed how running had transformed the life of double Olympic 5000m silver medalist Hellen Obiri who also comes from her hometown of Kisii, Moraa hoped that athletics would pave the path out of poverty for her family too.
.jpg)
Moraa’s big break was at a weekend track and field meeting at the National Stadium in Nairobi.
The barefooted teen impressed with a second-place finish in the 400m race, a performance that also earned her a ticket to the National Trials for the 2017 World U18 championships.
She booked her slot in the 200m and 400m, and went on to earn silver in the half lap at the global junior event.
Her qualification for the World U20 the following year was never in doubt.
She also made the senior team for the 2019 Worlds.
She won her first 800m world title at the Budapest 23 World Athletics Championships running a personal best time of 1:56.03.
