This will be the 20th edition of the World Athletics Championships, and will be held from September 13th to 21st. The championships will use the National Stadium, rebuilt for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and 2020 Summer Paralympic Games.
This will be the third time that the championships will be held in Japan, following the 1991 event in Tokyo at the former National Stadium, and the 2007 event in Osaka.
Moraa ready to defend 800m title
The 25-year-old, who won a gold medal at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, a bronze medal in the same event at the 2022 World Athletics Championships and a gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, believes she can replicate her Budapest brilliance and mount a successful defence of her world title.
"This 2025, I am ready to defend my title, and as a team, we are very prepared. We have been training for the last like, let me say, the whole year, and now it is our turn to go to Tokyo for the Championship and bring back those medals. This is our chance,” said Moraa.
During the last World Championships in Budapest in 2023, Moraa stormed to the two-lap title after stopping the clock at 1:56.03. She outkicked Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson, who settled for silver in 1:56.34, while American Athing Mu bagged bronze in 1:56.61.
She added: “I am the 2023 champion, and I am going to Tokyo to defend my title.”
Moraa had first specialised in the 400 metres distance until 2021, when she made her international debut at the World Under-18 Championships in Nairobi and won the silver medal in the event with a personal best time of 53.31 seconds.
The following year, the 18-year-old placed fifth over the same distance at the World U20 Championships held in Tampere, Finland, clocking a new best of 52.85 s in the heats.
She transitioned to the 800 metres in 2020, and represented Kenya at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021, competing in the event, where she was eliminated in the semi-finals with a time of 2:00.47.
Cherotich optimistic of good results
Meanwhile, Kenya’s 3000m steeplechase runner Cherotich has expressed optimism ahead of the Championship. The 21-year-old, who has been competing in the Diamond League circuit, said the experience has enhanced her preparations for the global event.
She further noted that while the competition will be tough, she is confident of putting in a strong performance for Kenya.
"I promise good results. My experience in the Diamond League has been amazing and has built my confidence towards the World Championships. It is going to be tough, but I promise I will do my best," said Cherotich.
At the age of 17, she won the bronze medal at the 2021 World Athletics Under-20 Championships held in Nairobi, before she upgraded her bronze to gold a year later, winning the title at the World U20 Championships in Cali.
In history, Kenya has competed at every edition of the World Championships in Athletics since its inception in 1983. Kenya has won the second most gold medals at the championships (after the United States) and also has the second most medals in total (after the USA).
The vast majority of the East African nation’s medals have come in middle- and long-distance running events, mostly on the men's side. It ranks fourth on the all-time placing tables at the competition, reflecting its narrow event focus.
