Semenya’s golden effort
Runner impresses in 1 500m at champs, inspires relay teammates
Ockert de Viliers
CASTER Semenya lit up the third day of the African Athletics Championships with the second-fastest 1 500m time by a South African woman to qualify in her third Olympic event.
The Olympic silver medallist smashed her previous personal best by almost seven seconds, posting a time 4:01.99.
She stayed just behind the leading group for most of the race before making her move with 200m to go. She crossed the line almost two seconds ahead of the second-placed Rabab Arafi, of Morocco.
Arafi crossed the line in 4:03.96, with Adanech Anbesa Feyisa bagging the bronze in 4:05.22.
Semenya stopped the clock 0.18 of a second short of Zola Budd’s 32-year-old time of 4:01.81, set in Port Elizabeth in 1986.
“I’m quite happy with the time,” Semenya said. “I’ve been dreaming of that time since I was 18, so now that I’ve achieved it I can just go and relax.
“The main goal was to try and qualify for three events so you can pick whatever one you would like to do.”
Her time ranks her ninth in the world this year in the 1 500m. She also boasts this year’s world-leading 800m time of 1:56.64, and her one-lap sprint time this year of 50.74 ranks her eighth.
Semenya seems to be striking the right balance between speed and endurance, which will ultimately aid her in the 800m, her specialist event.
The idea of Semenya running a double at the Olympics – whether 400m and 800m, or 800m and 1 500m – has been suggested but the former world champion said she was still undecided.
“We will just have to see. The 1 500m is not part of my plan for Rio. I’m just using it to balance my speed work and my mileage.”
Earlier in the evening it seemed like it would be slim pickings for the host nation compared with the six gold medals that local athletes won at the continental showpiece.
Semenya’s victory seemed to kick the rest of the team into gear, with the women’s 4x100m relay team of Allyssa Conley, Tamzin Thomas, Tebogo Mamatu and national record-holder Carina Horn earning the gold medal.
The quartet posted the second-fastest time by a women’s 4x100m relay team, with Horn running the final straight and crossing the line in 44.66.
The men’s team, anchored by world 400m champion Wayde van Niekerk, also bagged the African gold medal but are likely to miss Olympic qualification.
The quartet of Van Niekerk, SA 100m record-holder Akani Simbine, Gift Leotlela and Emile Erasmus posted a time of 38.84, although they needed to post at least 38.06 to earn a spot among the top 16 countries in the world.
After the relay performances, Athletics SA seemed to have a moment of enlightenment. The head of track and field, Pieter Lourens, said they would be looking for races for the team to qualify at before the July 11 deadline.
Van Niekerk said: “At the moment each and every one of us is focusing on himself, but if the opportunity comes at the right time everyone will be available.
“But we took the opportunity that we had and we had to use it as best as possible.”
Van Niekerk will be based with Simbine in Gemona, Italy, until just before the Olympics.
Neither quartet spent a single minute practising for the relays, suggesting that Olympic qualification is in reach if they apply themselves.
South Africa has now won 18 medals in total over the first three days of the championships, with nine golds, five silvers and four bronzes.
Botswana has turned in an impressive 400m title sweep in the men’s and women’s races.
Middle-distance ace Jacob Rozani posted an Olympic qualifying time of 1:45.38, winning the silver medal in the men’s 800m final.
Rozani surged towards the end chasing the qualifying time and Olympic silver medallist Nijel Amos, who crossed the line in first place in 1:45.11.