JOHANNESBURG – Caster Semenya shaved one one-hundredth of a second off her South African record to win her 18th consecutive 800m race in a time of 1:55.27 at the Monaco Diamond League meeting on Friday night.
Semenya produced an impressive tactical race, going through the first 400m first lap in a time of 56.7 seconds.
It was by no means an easy victory for the Olympic gold medallist as she had company in the form of Burundi’s Francine Niyonsaba and Ajee Wilson of the Unites States.
Niyonsaba and Wilson pushed Semenya all the way to the line, but she managed to open a small gap over the final metres.
“I showed my strength, it was a hard fight until the end… The girls surprised me (with) how good they ran,” Semenya told the Diamond League website.
“The pace was okay for me. I wanted to go around 56, but I did some small technical mistakes, which slowed me down. I knew I should not allow Niyonsaba to take the lead.”
It was records galore in the race, with Niyonsaba and Wilson both posting new national marks, finishing second and third with times of 1:55.47 and 1:55.61 respectively.
Semenya has improved on her season’s best from the Doha Diamond League meeting in May by more than a second.
While Semenya should be buoyed by her performance, the race suggests she will have to work for the title at next month’s IAAF World Championships in London.
World 400m record-holder Wayde van Niekerk was made to work hard for his first place, with the in-form Isaac Makwala of Botswana biting at his heels as they crossed the line.
Van Niekerk managed to hold on for the victory, posting a new meeting record of 43.73 seconds, with Makwala following behind him in 43.84.
It was a southern African 1-2-3, with another Batswana in Baboleki Thebe rounding out the podium in a time of 44.26.
“It was great performance today. I’m feeling positive about it,” Van Niekerk told the meeting website.
“My body feels in great shape, and this win from behind gives me lot of confidence.”
Van Niekerk nevertheless posted the fourth fastest time of his career, dipping below 45 seconds for the 20th time, while posting a sub-44 mark for the fifth time in his career.
The Olympic champion did not look quite as relaxed as he did earlier in the season, going through the top bend with Makwala pushing him all the way.
Van Niekerk boasts the world-leading time of 43.62 he posted in Lausanne earlier this month, while Makwala’s time is the third fastest.
The latter had a few metres on the South African as they came into the final straight of the race, but Van Niekerk dug deep to pip him at the line.
Usain Bolt crosses the line ahead of Akani Simbine (left) and Chijindu Ujah. Photo: Reuters
For the main attraction, Jamaican sprinting legend Usain Bolt bossed the rest of the 100m field, crossing the line in a season’s best of 9.95.
South African 100m record-holder Akani Simbine had to be content with third place, posting a time of 10.02, with Isiah Young of the United States finishing second in 9.98.
SA distance ace Dominique Scott-Efurd finished 11th in the 3 000m, knocking five seconds off her personal best by clocking a time of 8:41.33 to move her into third place on the South African all-time list.
Wenda Nel had a nightmarish evening in the women’s 400m hurdles, finishing fifth in a pedestrian 55.90.
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