Caster out to crack Zola’s 1 500m record
CASTER Semenya is looking to break Zola Budd’s 34-year-old South African 1 500m record at the final Liquid Telecom Athletix Grand Prix meet in Paarl on Thursday.
Although there will be no pace-maker to assist her‚ Semenya‚ the world championship bronze medallist in this event‚ will go up against US-based Dominique Scott‚ holder of the 4min 07.25sec SA indoor record.
Semenya‚ winner the SA outdoor title at the national championships in Pretoria this past weekend‚ has already come close to the 4:01.81 Budd posted in Port Elizabeth on March 21 1984.
She went 4:01.99 at the African championships in Durban in 2016.
“At SA’s it is all about the title‚ so the race is more like to be tactical‚” said Semenya‚ referring to her 4:10.68 effort at the Tuks track on Friday night.
“I am really looking forward to Zola’s record.
“I have the 800m and the 1 000m record so it will be good to get the 1 500m record too‚” she added in a statement released by organisers yesterday.
Semenya and Scott are both in great shape.
Scott‚ with an outdoor best of 4:08.04 from last year‚ has broken two national indoor records this season‚ at 1500m and 3 000m.
Semenya ran her fastest-ever 800m time on home soil at the weekend and‚ at the second meet of the series‚ also in Pretoria nearly two weeks ago‚ she broke the rarely run 1 000m mark.
Meanwhile‚ Carina Horn‚ who went 11.03 to beat Evette de Klerk’s national 100m mark at the SA championships‚ has been confirmed for the Paarl meet. Her next target is the 11second barrier. —