Caster cruises to 800m victory

Semenya wins second medal at champs in fastest time of year

CASTER Semenya cruised to a historic victory in London last night as she took the 800m gold for her second medal of the world championships. Her closest rivals, Francine Niyonsaba, of Burundi, and American Ajee Wilson, unleashed an early blitz, but the famous Semenya kick over the final 200m was still too much for them.

The 26-year-old clocked a 1min 55.16sec South African record, also the fastest time in the world this year.

Asked where she found the extra gear, Semenya told the appreciative fans at trackside: “The crowd, this is unbelievable, I love you guys.

“This is my third home, we all know my second home is Berlin. These people are fantastic, this is the place to be.”

It is the second time in a month that Semenya has improved her national mark, again being pushed by Niyonsaba and Wilson.

Niyonsaba was second in 1:55.92 and Wilson third in 1:56.65, nearly a second ahead of fourth-placed Margaret Wambui, of Kenya (1:57.54).

Semenya, now unbeaten in the 800m in 29 races since late 2015, is South Africa’s most decorated world championship athlete, having landed four gongs in her career to date.

She took 800m gold in 2009, silver in 2011 (although that has been upgraded to gold) and the 1 500m bronze here a week ago.

Wayde van Niekerk is next best, with three medals.

Semenya is now only the second three-time world champion in this event, after Maria Mutola of Mozambique, her previous coach before she linked up with Jean Verster in Potchefstroom in 2015.

Her victory was the SA team’s sixth medal of the showpiece, with three gold, one silver and two bronze, lifting them to third on the medals table before the final events were completed.

Earlier, Lebogang Shange battled bravely in the 20km race walk, but he was unable to clinch a medal as he got pushed into fourth.

The man they call Day Walker, known for his strong finishes, had the consolation of knocking 48 seconds off his national record as he crossed the line in 1hr 19min 18sec, just 14 seconds off the podium.

That is the first national mark to fall at the showpiece, which ended last night.

Shange was in 20th place at the halfway mark, a distant 25 seconds behind the leader, and 2km later he attacked.

“The plan was to relax, just pass my first 10km in 40:30, but I was still fresh. I passed in 40.13 so I thought I can beat my time, the South African record.

“I kept patient and after 12km I kicked. I thought no, I can do it, I can get to the front. I started to believe. I cruised, I gave it my best.”

Shange, picking up just one warning, flew around the 2km lap on London’s famous Mall, and at one stage was 10 seconds quicker per kilometre than the rest of his rivals.

He moved into the lead on the penultimate loop, but he was unable to find that extra gear when Colombian Eider Arevalo, Russian Sergei Shirobokov and Caio Bonfim overhauled him with late kicks.

Arevalo won in a 1:18.53 Colombian record, ahead of Shirobokov in 1:18.55 and Bonfim in a 1:19.04 Brazilian record.

“I’m not surprised by my position. I worked so hard for it, three months in Europe,” Shange said.

He failed to finish at the 2013 world championships in Moscow and ended 11th at the last edition in Beijing two years ago.

Shange disappointed at the Rio Olympics, ending 44th in a race where Arevalo was 15th and Bonfim fourth.

“Last year, I did too much,” Shange said of his pre-Games racing.

Last year, he had six 20km races before the Olympics, and this year he had just four, although he participated in more shorter races.