South African teen Semenya stuns with 1:56.72 800m World lead in Bambous - African junior champs, Day 2
Bambous, Mauritius - South African Caster Semenya clocked the fastest
women’s 800m time in the world this year at the Africa Junior
Championships at the Germain Comaramond Stadium in Bambous, Mauritius
on Friday (31).
Championship and national records together with
a host of personal best tumbled on this second day of at the
championships. Africa’s next generation of elite athletes
signalled their intention to surpass the continent’s Beijing
Olympic medal haul. Athletics accounted for 28 of the 40 medals Africa
in Beijing Olympics. Now the juniors could surpass this mark at the
2012 Olympic in London provided they are well nurtured.
Semenya hits the big time
The
18-year-old Semenya is guaranteed special attention at the World
Championship in Berlin next month. By clocking a championships record
of 1:56.72 to win the women’s 800m. Her previous best is 2:00.58.
At
one go she has erased four national age category records. These are
Zelda Pretorius’ senior (1:58.85) record, Eranee van Zyl’s
Under 23 (1:59.70), Zola Budd’s Junior (2:00.9) and Corne
Vijoen’s Under-18 (2:02.71). Semenya is confident the best has
beat to come.
“If it was not for the strong wind on the
back straight I would have run faster. My coach (Michael Seme) has
always told me during training that I can match the Kenyan (World
champion) Janeth Jepkosgei and (Olympic champion) Pamela Jelimo. So I
will not be afraid when I compete against them in Berlin,” said a
confident Semenya.
Such was Semenya’s aggressive front
running pedigree that Kenyan runner up Winny Chebet (2:01.36) improved
her career best by three seconds. Bronze medallist Abebe Aregawi
Gedretsadik (2.02.17) improved Ethiopia’s senior and junior
records.
South Africa’s other record of the day
came from decathlete Gert Swanepoel (6.400) who bettered the record
Tinus de Bruin (6,355) set at the 2005 Africa Junior Championships in
Rades Tunisia. South African World Student Games finalist Cornel
Fredericks (50.05) established a 400m hurdles championships record.
Two golds for Algeria, two for Nigeria
Algeria bagged two gold medals through 100m sprinter Abdelhadi Bouchakour (10.75) and Ali Boiuguesba......
