Mary Moraa performed outstandingly at the World Athletic Championships in Budapest on Sunday by clinching a gold medal. Soon after crossing the finish line, Moraa broke into her signature dance to celebrate her victory.

The 800 meters champion Mary Moraa has  however offered an insight behind her post race jig which has thrilled and entertained fans around the globe.

“I started this victory dance at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, when I won the 800m gold. It has become my signature dance whenever I win races,” she revealed

“After every hard-fought victory, I give my fans something extra so that when they hear of my races, they can keep abreast with results. This is a mannerism I have borrowed from Ezekiel Kemboi, also known for his entertaining post-event jigs.” Moraa stated.

Prior to her eye catching dance moves, Moraa admitted that her exemplary performance in Budapest came as a pleasant surprise to her.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” Moraa said while panting in happiness. She candidly admitted she had been quite uneasy by the presence of world-beating runners prior to the final.

“I was surprised with the gold. All finalists ran a good race. At some point in the race, I was asking myself hard questions who among us will take the medals at stake? But after the homestretch drama I found myself skipping the finish line,” Moraa who is also a Diamond League champion said.

Asked what was going through her mind as the starters gun sounded Moraa went ahead to explain what was rushing through her head at the time.

“(Athing) Mu was the first one off the blocks, so when she raced ahead of the pack, I thought she wanted to make the race go faster. So, I decided to run behind her but when I did so, I saw Keely pushing harder from behind. It was like I used lane two throughout the race. But it was in the last 150m that I decided to attack.”

Moraa had settled for bronze at last year’s Oregon Worlds in the USA, but this time round, she restricted Britain’s Commonwealth Games silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson to silver once more in 1:56.34 as Olympic Champion Mu locked 1:56.61 to rack up bronze.

“I don’t know what happened in the latter stages of that race, I just found myself jumping across the finish line, first. I was so chuffed!” She chimed in.