Bookies put their cash on Caster

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UK bookmakers are predicting that Caster Semenya will win gold in todays 800m final in London.

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UK bookmakers are predicting that Caster Semenya will win gold in tonight’s 800m final in London.

More than 20 online betting sites predicted that Semenya would clinch gold over Russia’s Mariya Savinova and defending champion Pamela Jelimo from Kenya.

According to bet365, the odds of Semenya winning were 5/6, Sky Bet said 8/11 and Sporting Bet predicted 4/6. Semenya, who carried South Africa’s flag at the opening ceremony last month, looked calm and relaxed as she cruised her way into the final race with a time of one minute, 57.67 seconds in the semifinal.

The confident manner in which she won the race was in stark contrast to her pre-Olympics outings.

Her performance supported the notion that Semenya held back her best exclusively for the major competitions, such as the World Championships and the Olympics.

British commentators said Semenya was running her best races ever and had been hiding her potential as a great runner during the heats.

The 21-year-old from the rural Limpopo village of Masehlong in Moletjie was sidelined in 2009 when world athletics authorities questioned her gender after she won the world title.

She was tested and cleared to return to athletics in 2010

Speaking after her semi-final race, she said coach Maria Mutola would be satisfied with her time after the Mozambican Olympic gold medallist had called on her to produce a good time.

“I think she (Mutola) will be very happy; she said ‘Caster, you have to run a good time so that you can be comfortable for the final’,” Semenya said. “I think the time makes me very confident.”

On Thursday night, Semenya brushed aside any inkling that the prospect of running against such pedigreed athletes would rattle her.

“If you want to run a good race you have to forget about everybody, just think of your own race,” she said.

The South African might even have an advantage over the other women in her field, as she received a warm reception from the Olympic Stadium spectators when she was introduced.

“I was a little nervous when they called my name in front of this crowd, but I feel at home and it reminds me of good memories,” Semenya said.

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