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Mary Moraa, Keely Hodgkinson and Athing Mu To Face Off In Pre Classic 800m

By Chris Chavez

April 9, 2024

All three women’s medalists from the 2023 World Championships 800m final in Budapest will be racing at the 2024 Prefontaine Classic on May 25.

Here’s what you need to know:

– Kenya’s Mary Moraa won last year’s World Championships in Budapest with a personal best of 1:56.03. Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson collected her third consecutive global championship silver medal in the event with a runner-up finish in 1:56.34. Olympic champion Athing Mu, who was considering not racing at Worlds, suffered her first loss as a professional and earned bronze in 1:54.97.

– When all three faced off at the Diamond League final in Eugene a few weeks later, Mu prevailed and broke her own U.S. record in 1:54.97. That time puts her at No. 8 on the all-time list. Hodgkinson broke her own British record in 1:55.19, which ties her for No. 10 on the all-time list with Mozambique’s Maria Mutola (three-time world champion and 2000 Olympic gold medalist) and Slovenia’s Jolanda Čeplak (2004 Olympic bronze medalist). Moraa finished fourth in 1:57.42.

– Because Mu raced sparingly during the spring and summer, she was competing as a wild card athlete in the Diamond League Final. Hodgkinson was awarded the Diamond Trophy since she competed at the Paris and Lausanne Diamond Leagues.

All-time head-to-head-record

– Mu has beaten Hodgkinson four out of five times in her career. Mu also has a 3–1 record over Moraa.

– Hodgkinson and Moraa are tied 5–5 in their head-to-head matchups.

Have they raced in 2024?

– Hodgkinson and Mu decided to skip the 2024 indoor season. Mu has been training in Los Angeles under coach Bobby Kersee. Hodgkinson is currently in training camp in South Africa.

–Moraa has yet to race an 800m race but has sharpened her speed with a few 400m races in Kenya. She also won gold in the 400m and 4x400m at the African Games. Although it’s early in the season, her 50.57 is the world-leading time.

Chris Chavez

Chris Chavez launched CITIUS MAG in 2016 as a passion project while working full-time for Sports Illustrated. He covered the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and grew his humble blog into a multi-pronged media company. He completed all six World Marathon Majors and is an aspiring sub-five-minute miler.