South African runner Caster Semenya produced a devastating sprint finish to claim the Olympic 800m crown, four years after being denied gold by Russian dope cheat Mariya Savinova.
The 25-year-old 2012 silver medalist turned on the gas with 150m to go, crossing the line more than 1.20 seconds clear in 1 minute, 55.28 seconds at the Olympic Stadium.
Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi took silver in 1 minute, 56.49 seconds, with Kenya’s Margaret Wambui claiming bronze in 1 minute, 56.89 seconds.
Photo: AP
“I used to be a sprinter, I ran the 100m, 200m in high school,” Semenya said of her finish. “It was just a fantastic race. Obviously, there can only be one winner and it turned out good for me. It wasn’t about running fast, it was about running a good race.”
Semenya has been at the center of controversy in recent years because of her naturally occurring condition, hyperandrogenism, which causes elevated testosterone levels.
Hours before Saturday’s final, International International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) president Sebastian Coe indicated that the world body would seek to revisit regulations regarding testosterone levels.
Semenya would not be drawn on the issue.
“Tonight is all about performances,” she said. “We’re not here to talk about the IAAF. We’re not here to talk about speculations. We’re here to talk about the 800m that we ran today.”
Semenya never looked in trouble, biding her time after a 57.59-second opening lap.
Niyonsaba hit the front with about 300m to go, but Semenya was always within striking distance.
With 150m left she made her move, calmly accelerating clear to take the lead as the race for silver and bronze unfolded behind her.
Canada’s Melissa Bishop dug deep in the home stretch, but was just pipped for bronze by Wambui.
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