Is this year's edition of the Olympic Games in Paris, France a chance for Mary Moraa to win her maiden Olympic gold medal as defending champion Athing Mu will not be in the mix?
The women’s 800m at the Paris Olympic Games will be bitter sweet as defending champion Athing Mu will not be on the starting line on the purple track at the Stade de France.
However, her missing out on the race will see a new champion being crowned and will present a new opportunity for athletes to showcase their talent. In short, the race will be a matter of who blinks first.
Despite the American star missing on the start list, world champion Mary Moraa and Olympic silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson will renew their rivalry, with each one of them in the hunt for their first Olympic titles.
![Keely Hodgkinson reveals a serious impact Mary Moraa has made on her road to Paris 2024 Olympics](https://sportal365images.com/process/smp-images-production/ringier.africa/23072024/f920bd5b-e7cc-45f4-84ae-a34cc8fb6985.jpg?operations=fit(180:))
13:00 - 23.07.2024
Keely Hodgkinson reveals a serious impact Mary Moraa has made on her road to Paris 2024 Olympics
Keely Hodgkinson discusses lessons from her loss to Mary Moraa as he aims for gold at the Paris Olympics.
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Moraa already has a world title to her name, so an Olympic title will not be much of a task since she has the experience of winning on a global stage. At the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, the 24-year-old finished third in the semifinal and her time could not guarantee her a spot in the final.
After that, she went on to win a bronze medal at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, before claiming a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. At the 2023 World Championships, Moraa was no fluke as she claimed a gold medal ahead of Mu and Hodgkinson.
She opened her win with a dominant win at the Kip Keino Classic before dominating the National Police Service Championships. Moraa’s last win was at the Diamond League Meeting in Doha before her consecutive second-place finishes at the Prefontaine Classic and Kenyan Olympic trials.
She now heads to Paris with a different mindset, a mindset of winning and who is in a position to stop her, if not herself?
However, Hodgkinson might just be the one to stop Moraa, owing to her impressive form this season. The Briton star has been unbeaten in the 800m and she will obviously be looking to maintain that as she heads to Paris.
She stunned Moraa at the Prefontaine Classic, the Diamond League Meeting in Eugene before defending her title at the European Athletics Championships. The 22-year-old then competed at the FBK Games in Hengelo, winning in great fashion before dominating the Diamond League Meeting in London.
![Mary Moraa reveals what cost her glory at Tokyo Olympics as she seeks to make ammends in Paris](https://sportal365images.com/process/smp-images-production/ringier.africa/18072024/f8798e25-4785-47a2-9b61-3c8782f7fdee.jpg?operations=fit(180:))
17:30 - 18.07.2024
Mary Moraa reveals what cost her glory at Tokyo Olympics as she seeks to make ammends in Paris
Mary has disclosed what cost her a medal at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and what she has done differently to ensure she is lethal in Paris.
She heads to Paris with much-needed confidence to stun her opponents and will prove to be Moraa’s greatest opposition in the race. As things stand, the women’s 800m race will be a battle between Moraa and Hodgkinson.