Mary Moraa broke the world record of 600 meters in Berlin

The Kenyan Mary Moraabronze medalist in the 800 meters at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, beating the 600 meters world record at the ISTAF Berlin meeting.

Moraa set a time of 1:21.63 to reduce by fourteen hundredths the previous record held by South African Caster Semenya (1:21.77), also achieved in Berlin on August 27, 2017.

The Kenyan, born in Obwari 24 years ago and after winning bronze at the World Cup in Eugene 2022, she won gold at Budapest 2023, surpassing San Vicentina’s Shafiqua Maloney at the finish line, who stopped the clock in 1:22.98, and Germany’s Alica Schmidt (1 :24.88).

“I feel very happy, because achieving this record on the first attempt is simply overwhelming. I am very happy for my coach, for my sponsors and for my team,” said Moraa, who noted that “I was confident.” “I said to myself, ‘I’m going to make it!’ and I made it!”

American Sam Kendricks won the pole vault with 6.01 meters, five centimeters short of his personal best, which he tried to improve on, but was unable to do in 6.08. He was ahead of Dutch Menno Vloon (5.92) and German Bo Kanda Lita Baehre (5.82).

Grant Holloway, also an American, world and Olympic champion in the 100 hurdles, did not give his rivals an option and won with 13.14, seven hundredths less than the Japanese Rachid Muratake, while in the women’s 100 hurdles Jamaican Yanique Thompson (12.73) and Brittany Anderson (12.89) dominated.

In the hectometer, American Courtney Lindsey (9.99) and German Gina Luckenkemper (10.93) won, whose compatriot Gesa Delicitas Krause established the world best of the year in the 2,000 hurdles with 5:56.71.