LONDON – Caster Semenya will attempt to become a double 800 metres gold medallist in Sunday's final at the IAAF World Championships.
Semenya made light work of her semi-final by posting the fastest time of the three races when she clocked one minute, 58.90 seconds.
The 26-year-old looks set to add another gold to South Africa’s record medal haul at the world championships where the team has already clinched two gold, a silver, and two bronze medals.
Semenya will be looking for a rare 800/1500m gold/bronze double after attempting a similar attempt to that of Russia’s Svetlana Masterkova at the 1999 world championships in Seville, Spain.
Masterkova achieved a similar feat in Seville, where she won gold in the 1500m and bronze in the two-lap race.
The South African has hardly been pushed over the past two years, boasting a winning streak of 18 victories in as many finals.
The final promises to be anything but a walk in the park for Semenya with former youth and junior world champion Ajee Wilson of the US emerging as one of the challengers.
Wilson recently posted a new personal best of 1:55.61 she ran at the Monaco Diamond League meeting, where she finished third behind Semenya.
She won her semi-final in a time of 1:59.21 with 2015 world silver medallist Melissa Bishop also qualifying for the final.
Olympic silver and bronze medallists Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi and Kenya’s Margaret Wambui also marched into the final in a slow and tactical race.
Semenya’s biggest threat will come in the form of the diminutive Niyonsaba, who boasts the second fastest time this year with the 1:55.47 she posted in Monaco.
Meanwhile, Semenya’s former training partner Gena Lofstrand missed out on a final berth finishing last in her semi-final, clocking 2:03.67.