South Africa’s Semenya Scorches to World-Leading Time in Paris

South Africa’s Caster Semenya cemented her place as the world’s leading female 800m athlete with a blistering South African record at the Diamond League meeting in Paris, France on Saturday, writes MARK ETHERIDGE.

Unbeaten since September 2015, the two-time Olympic champion and three-time world champion won in a world-leading 1min 54.25sec, the fourth fastest time ever by a woman.

The world’s best still belongs to Czech Republic’s Jarmila Kratochvilova who ran 1:53.28 in Munich, Germany back in 1983, eight years before Semenya was born.

This was Semenya’s 37th consecutive race victory and she did it on her own.

Lining up in lane five, she shunned the services of a pacemaker and took the field through the bell in a quick 56.12sec.

From that stage on, there was only her and Burundi’s Francine Niyonsaba in contention.

And from 200m to go, there was only one as Semenya simply put her foot down and opened the lead.

She won by more than 1.5sec as Niyonsaba was second in 1:55.86 with American Ajee Wilson rounding off the podium.

Before Saturday, Semenya’s world-leading time was 1:55.92, which she ran at the Diamond League meeting in Eugene, Oregon earlier this year.

In the final event of the night, South Africa’s Commonwealth Games 100m champion Akani Simbine had to settle for fourth in the men’s sprint.

Still, he had a season’s best 9.94 to reflect on as American Ronnie Baker won in a world-leading 9.88sec.

Earlier, SA champion Luxolo Adams ended fourth in the 200m with a time of 20.21sec.

That was after visibly easing up over the last 10 metres.

There was another fourth spot for Antonia Alkana in the men’s 110m hurdles.