NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 6 – With a cheeky dance to top it up, Mary Moraa blazed past World silver medalist and home girl Keeley Hodgkinson at the final 50m to storm into the Commonwealth Games title in Birmingham on Saturday night.
Moraa ran a strange race, leading at the bell before dropping all the way back, but put in a superb fight, plucking off the entire field at the home stretch to win in 1:57.07.
Moraa went straight into the lead in the opening lap, but strangely, she dropped to the bottom of the group at the bell with Hodkinson and Jamaican Natoya Goule breezing past her, followed by 1500m specialist Laura Muir of Scotland.
At the backstraight, Moraa was last among the eight athletes, with the trio upfront looking all well for the medals. It seemed a far-fetched idea that Moraa would medal as the leaders were putting up the afterburners.
But the Kenyan, with some insane determination went off on the outside and started her remarkable final sprint.
One after another she dropped those ahead of her and within the last 50, glided past home girl Hodgkinson who had the entire stadium blazing their decibels for her.
She was well ahead with less than 20m to go, bagging a sensational Gold medal, adding on to the World Championship bronze she won in Eugene, Oregon two weeks ago.
Behind her, Hodgkinson was second while Muir just but pipped Goule for bronze by 100th of a second.
Hodgkinson timed 1:57.40 while Muir clocked 1:57.87 for bronze.
