JOHANNESBURG – Middle-distance powerhouse Caster Semenya continued her winning streak in her specialist two-lap event racing to victory at the Oslo Diamond League meeting on Thursday night.
It may not have been one of her best races but the three-time world champion still turned in a dominant performance winning with a time of one minute, 57.25 seconds (1:57.25).
Semenya controlled the race from the start with Burundi’s Francine Niyonsaba staying on her shoulder before the South African pulled away as they came out of the bend.
Niyonsaba followed in her wake crossing the line in a time of 1:58.57 with Ethiopia’s Habitam Alemu rounding off the podium in 1:58.58.
Semenya’s time was over a second slower than the season’s best of 1:55.92 she posted at the Eugene Diamond League meeting last month.
Unstoppable. Another perfectly executed race by @caster800m🇿🇦 to win the #OsloDL Women's 800m in 1:57.25 ahead of @FrancineNiyons4🇧🇮 1:58.57. #RoadToTheFinal #DiamondLeague pic.twitter.com/EKkueBkhsG
— IAAF Diamond League (@Diamond_League) June 7, 2018
Less than 15 minutes earlier national record-holder Carina Horn settled into the blocks in the women’s 100m where she finished in sixth place with a time of 11.22 seconds.
Horn made a strong start to the race but faded over the dying metres of the race with Ivorian Murielle Ahoure winning with a time of 10.91.
British sprinter Dina Asher-Smith set a new national record of 10.92 to finish in second place with Michelle-Lee Ahye of Trinidad and Tobago bagging bronze in 11.06.
Horn became the first South African female to breach 11 seconds in Doha a month ago when she posted a new national record of 10.98.
She shaved 0.03s off the off the 28-year-old record first set by Evette de Klerk back in 1990.
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IOL Sport