Delight was etched on the face of the new women’s 800-metre world champion, Caster Semenya as she crossed the white line in first place on Sunday.

At the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London on 13 August, she added a new SA record to her list of achievements.

Semenya achieved this golden feat after a trademark final kick on the main straight in a personal and national best time of 1:55.16.

  The Olympic 800-metre champion shone at London’s Olympic Stadium as a hyped-up crowd watched the NWU-Pukke athlete and South African hero bring joy to the country. Five     years earlier, during the 2012 Olympic Games, Semenya settled for silver in the same stadium – now she commands respect after snubbing the naysayers with a tactically brilliant victory.

Semenya did it her way, sitting behind her main rivals and leaders after the first lap, Francine Niyonsaba, Margaret Wambui and Ajee Wilson, who set a blistering pace from the outset. Semenya made her move with about 80 metres to go as she stormed past the leading pack with    relative ease, hitting sixth gear as Niyonsaba and Wilson had to settle for silver and bronze respectively. This was Semenya’s third World Championship win in the women’s 800-metre and she now equals the Mozambican running queen, Maria Mutola’s record of three gold medals at a World Championship in this event.

Earlier, at the World Championships, it was a different story for Semenya who sneaked in for a bronze medal in the     1 500-metre final. Even though she could not achieve the 800-metre and 1 500-metre double, she was still extremely satisfied with her performance.

  ‘Completing the World Championship with a bronze and a gold medal is by far my greatest achievement. I’m lucky to have a great support team that works with me. Full credit to them. The crowds are so welcoming to me and it makes it feel even more special,’ she said.

Semenya, under the local coach, Jean Verster, keeps pushing the boundaries every year.

The world record of 1:53.28 should now be in her sights, after achieving gold at the World Championships, Olympics and Commonwealth Games.

Overall, it was a fantastic performance from all the South Africa’s athletes and the country ended in third place on the medals table with six medals (three gold, one silver and two bronze).