World 800m champion Caster Semenya secured her third individual gold medal with a convincing victory in her specialist event on day two of the SA Student Athletics Championships in Stellenbosch on Saturday.
Semenya, who won the 400m and 1 500m titles on Friday, dragged the field through the first lap in the women’s 800m final with Juanee Cilliers and Mandi Brandt fighting to stay in touch.
The 20-year-old pulled clear, however, to win by more than two seconds in 2:02,52.
Brandt secured the silver medal in 2:04,65 and Cilliers held on for the bronze in 2:06,38.
The global two-lap title holder went undefeated over 400m and 800m in her first domestic season in two years, and said she would now take a month-long break from racing.
She will return to the track at an IAAF World Challenge meeting in Dakar, Senegal, on May 28 when she starts her build-up to the defence of her title at the World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, in August.
Sprinter Thuso Mpuang left it late in the season, but booked his ticket to the World Championships, clinching the men’s 200m student title in 20,56 seconds.
Tshamano Setone was in a class of his own in the men’s 5000m final but fell short of his attempt to qualify for the global championships.
The national champion over the distance, Setone almost did not make the start line as there was a mix-up with his entry, but team management were able to clear matters up and he duly found himself on the start line.
Chasing a time of 13:27 — the B qualifying standard — Setone requested Pharson Magagane, who won the 1 500m title on Friday, and Steven Mokoka, who clinched the 10 000m title on day one, to help him with the pace.
Mokoka pulled out with 1 000m left and Setone was left on his own, needing to dip under 60 seconds on the last lap to reach the qualifying mark.
Unlike Mokoka, who produced a 56-seconds last lap in the 10 000m final, Setone faded to cross the line in a season’s best of 13:30,59.
The men’s shot put delivered a nailbiting competition. Ross Jordaan heaved 19m with his final effort, but had to watch on as Jaco Engelbrecht unleashed a massive 19,42m personal best to steal the win. – Sapa