South Africa's Caster Semenya runs to victory in the women's 800 metres during the IAAF Diamond League athletics 'Herculis' meeting at The Stade Louis II Stadium in Monaco on July 20, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Valery HACHE
After being denied by an uncertified track last month, Caster Semenya made sure on Saturday, as she stormed to a national record in the women’s 400m race at the Continental Cup in Ostrava.
Semenya had clocked 49.96 seconds to win gold at the recent African Championships in Asaba, seemingly becoming the first SA woman to dip under 50 seconds in the one-lap sprint, but her performance was not ratified due to the poor state of the track at Stephen Keshi Stadium.
Given another chance to crack the mark after being selected to represent the African team this weekend, she charged across the line in 49.62, shattering the 18-year-old mark of 50.05 held by Heide Seyerling.
Semenya added the 400m record to her national marks in the 800m, 1 000m and 1 500m events after flaunting her versatility across a range of distances this season.
She was set to compete again in the women’s 800m race in Ostrava on Sunday.