Caster Semenya gallops to another comprehensive win

Caster Semenya remained on track for her third straight 800m crown in the annual Diamond League series, after extending her lead in the women’s two-lap standings by racking up another convincing victory in Oslo on Thursday night.

Though the race was not particularly fast, Semenya again displayed her dominance over her best distance, coasting home in 1:57.25.

She finished well ahead of Burundi’s Francine Niyonsaba, who again led the rest of the field across the line but settled for the runner-up spot in 1:58.57.

Semenya, who also had a share of the series lead in the 1 500m event, held 16 points at the top of the 800m standings, three points clear of Niyonsaba.

Earlier at the Oslo meeting, in the women’s 100m race, in-form sprinter Carina Horn settled for sixth place in 11.22 seconds, with world leader Murielle Ahoure of the Ivory Coast taking the win in another scorching time of 10.91.

Javelin thrower Sunette Viljoen had also been included in the provisional entry lists, but she was scratched when the final start lists were revealed earlier this week.

Meanwhile, five South African athletes are set to compete at the sixth leg of the Diamond League series in Stockholm on Sunday.

Horn lines up again in the 100m dash, while national champion Luxolo Adams makes his Diamond League debut in the men’s 200m sprint, middle-distance runner Rynardt van Rensburg turns out in the men’s 800m race, and Luvo Manyonga and Ruswahl Samaai will compete in the men’s long jump.