Caribbean queen Shafiqua Maloney out to mint Absa Kip Keino Classic gold
"Growing up, I ran everywhere without even realising I was training. My high school coach first noticed me just walking up the stairs. He thought I looked like a sprinter, and that's how it all began."
NAIROBI, Kenya, May 27- Shafiqua Maloney has unfinished business in Kenya.
The St. Vincent and the Grenadines rising star was denied an Olympics medal at last year's Summer Games women's 800m by Kenyan world champion, Mary Moraa in the final sprint for the podium.
On Saturday (May 31), she will step on the track at Ulinzi Sports Complex in Nairobi with the mission to topple another Moraa— Sarah, a cousin of the Budapest 2023 winner— in front of passionate local fans.
The stage for the anticipated showdown between the younger Moraa and Maloney is the sixth Absa Kip Keino Classic—a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series event.
In 2024, Sarah has stepped out of the shadows of her more famous relative, winning the Absa Kip Keino Classic title before bagging the World Junior crown in Cali, Colombia as well as the African title in Douala, Cameroon.
The Kenyan hope brings a 1:59.39 lifetime best in winning women's 800m gold at the fifth Absa Kip Keino Classic last year.
But the Vincentian, 26, comes in as the overwhelming favourite for Saturday.
Maloney will not just run for the top medal; she will also be wearing the pride of her tiny home island, carrying the hopes of the Caribbean region and above all, underlying her early credentials to make the podium at the Tokyo 2025 Worlds in September to atone for her Paris 2024 heartbreak.
Born in the lush, hilly village of Kingstown, St. Vincent & the Grenadine, Maloney's journey into global athletics started far from any tartan track.
Her earliest ‘training sessions' involved sprinting up mountain paths, walking long distances to school, and chasing goats barefoot across farmland.
"Growing up, I ran everywhere without even realising I was training," she laughs.
"My high school coach first noticed me just walking up the stairs. He thought I looked like a sprinter, and that's how it all began," she added while speaking to kipkeinoclassic.co.ke in Nairobi.
Her first competitive race didn't go as planned.
"I lost badly," she admits. "But it lit something in me. I kept coming back, and I trained harder each time."
That fire carried her across the ocean to the United States of America where she became an NCAA (collegiate athletics) star at the University of Arkansas and now trains under elite coach Chris Johnson.
Surrounded by Olympians like Shamier Little and Britton Wilson, Maloney has grown into one of the Caribbean's brightest middle-distance stars.
Already, she has broken 1:58 in the women's 800m with a personal best of 1:57.84.
And her mission this year is to break 1:56, a time if she is able to reproduce in Japan, would be enough to carry her to a medal in the final, barring of course, an extraordinary race.
"I know I'm close. And Kenya's great competition, especially Sarah Moraa, can help push me there. I want us both to put on a show."
First African visit
This is Maloney's first visit to Kenya, and to Africa. But she already feels at home, thanks to the warm welcome and a surprising twist—the opportunity to experience the famed Nairobi wildlife.
"I've never been to a wildlife park, and I've never really had the chance to experience wildlife or places like that, so I think Kenya will be the perfect place for my first real experience," she narrates.
"Nairobi is the only city in the world with a national park right within it, and it's just a few meters from the Kip Keino Classic venue. How cool is that?"
She commends Athletics Kenya and the Absa Kip Keino Classic organizers for offering international athletes a chance to visit the Nairobi National Park.
"When athletes come to your country, it shouldn't just be about the race. It should be about sharing your culture. And wildlife is a huge part of African culture. I can't wait to be part of that."
Perfect Race
For Maloney, the Kip Keino Classic is not just a test of speed. It's a chance to execute the perfect race, technically sound, tactically sharp, and mentally tuned.
"It's not always about how fast you are. You can be in great shape, but if your tactics are off, you won't win.
"My stride is long, and if I get boxed in, it's tough. So I'm working on racing free, clean, and smart."
She has added the 1500m race to her repertoire to build strength and sharpen her endurance, though she admits transitioning to the longer distance has been a challenge.
"It's hard. The 1500m is no joke. But it helps. I want to be that hybrid athlete, someone with both the speed of a sprinter and the strength of a distance runner."
Beyond the medals and the personal bests, Maloney's heart is firmly rooted in community service.
She dreams of building youth programs in the Caribbean to identify and support raw talent, especially in overlooked rural areas like the one she came from.
"There's so much talent in small villages back home. If I can set up outreach or scouting programs, that would be everything.
"But first, I have to take care of myself, become one of the best, and get to a place where I can help. Then I'll go home, hand out spikes, and give what I can. It's the little things that matter."
As she readies herself to face some of Africa's finest runners in their backyard, Maloney wants to connect to the culture, people and feed from Absa Kip Keino Classic's reputed electric atmosphere that has gripped international athletics.
"To the fans, thank you for welcoming me. Please come out and watch. It means a lot to us athletes. When the crowd's with you, it lifts you," the Paris 2024 fourth finisher implored.
Having sampled the warm Kenyan hospitality, the unique wildlife of Nairobi and the stadium where her talents will be on show, Maloney is ready for battle.
-By Robert Kibet | Freelance Journalist
-Photos: Peter Njoroge & Robert Kibet
