Commonwealth Games: Mary Moraa beats Keely Hodgkinson and Laura Muir to 800m gold
Kenya’s Mary Moraa gatecrashes Keely Hodgkinson and Laura Muir’s Anglo-Scottish duel to take 800m gold at the Commonwealth Games. …
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Kenya’s Mary Moraa gatecrashed Keely Hodgkinson and Laura Muir’s Anglo-Scottish duel to take 800m gold at the Commonwealth Games.
The 22-year-old world bronze medallist showed devastating speed down the home straight to outlast Hodgkinson, winning in one minute 57.07 seconds.
Scotland’s Muir took bronze by one hundredth of a second ahead of Jamaica’s Natoya Goule.
Muir will have another shot at glory in Sunday’s 1500m final.
Hodgkinson however said she was “fuming” to have missed her chance to claim a first international title in front of a home crowd.
“I am not quite sure what happened, it went so quick,” the world and Olympic silver medallist told BBC Sport.
“The first lap I went a bit hard, maybe I could have been a bit more patient.
“There are positives but I want gold so I am fuming. I wanted to stand on top of that podium in front of my home crowd.
“Unfortunately I came away with a silver, again. But I have got one more chance.”
Hodgkinson, like Muir, is part of a large British team travelling to Munich for the European Championships next week.
They, like the winner, will doubtless review this action-packed race before they arrive in Germany.
Moraa initially appeared to have misjudged her pace, cantering clear of the pack in the opening 300 metres, before slowing around the bell.
But there was still plenty of sting left in her legs and, as Hodgkinson and Muir attempted to crank up the pressure 200 metres from home, Moraa tracked them and found a gear beyond either.
As Hodgkinson and Muir flopped to the track after the line, Moraa gleefully broke out a celebratory jig for the television cameras.
Other than American Olympic and world champion Athing Mu, Moraa is the only athlete to have beaten Hodgkinson over 800m this year.
She triumphed in Stockholm in June with a similarly ferocious kick from home and the former 400m specialist, who only changed up to two laps last year, looks set to make Mu and Hodgkinson’s rivalry into a three-hander drama.
“Oh my goodness, these girls are fast,” Muir told BBC Sport after finishing in 1:57.87, 0.47 seconds behind Hodgkinson.
“I was in fourth with 100 metres to go and I was just like ‘no way’.
“Kids, that’s why if your coach says run all the way to the line, you run all the way to the line.”
Chalmers adds chapter to Guernsey’s island story
Three-time British champion Alastair Chalmers claimed Guernsey’s first Commonwealth medal ever outside shooting and lawn bowls with a superb bronze in the 400m hurdles.
The 22-year-old, running in lane two, followed home British Virgin Islands’ Kyron McMaster, who successfully defended his title, and Jamaica’s Jaheel Hyde in 49.97 seconds.
“You are absolutely amazing, all of you,” Chalmers told the crowd after they had roared him home over the final 100 metres.
Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo surged past Kenyan rivals Nicholas Kimeli and Jacob Krop to seize 5,000m gold and complete a distance double following his 10,000m triumph four days before.
England’s Marc Scott finished fourth in a season’s best 13:19.84, but was more than 10 seconds off the leading trio.
In the first track final of the evening, Jamaica’s Janieve Russell kept her composure to defend her 400m hurdles title as compatriot Rushell Clayton went out fast and faded even faster. Clayton finished in fourth, one place ahead of England’s Jessie Knight
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