RABAT – Caster Semenya ran a world-leading 1:56.64 to win the women’s 800m at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Rabat on Sunday (22).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpGqV64g1bk
Semenya held good pace throughout the early goings in the contest before effortlessly switching gears in the final 100m to sprint away from Burundi’s Francine Niyonsaba, who ran a season’s 1:57.74 for second place.
The South African 2009 World Championships gold medallist from Berlin, improved her own previous world-leading time of 1:58.26, which was set at the opening IAAF Diamond League meeting in Doha, on 6 May.
The 25-year-old owns a personal best of 1:55.45.
Besides Semenya and Niyonsaba, four other athletes broke the two-minute mark, with Renelle Lamote (FRA) 1:58.84 PB, Eunice Sum (KEN) 1:59.32, Lynsey Sharp (GBR) 1:59.51 and Habitat Alemu (ETH) 1:59.70.
In the men’s race, France’s Pierre-Ambroise Bosse ran 1:44.51 to hold off Algeria’s Taoufik Makhloufi finishing second in 1:44.91, with Amel Tuka (BIH) 1:45.41 taking third.
Nijel Amos (BOT), one of the race favourites, finished sixth in 1:47.34.
Meanwhile, also posting a world-leading time at the Diamond League meeting in Rabat, on Sunday was Kenya’s Conseslus Kipruto, who ran a time of 8:02.77 to win the men’s 3000m Steeple, Abdelaati Iguider of Morocco, who ran 7:36.85 to win the men’s 3000m and Almaz Ayana of Ethiopia, the women’s 5000m champion with a time of 14:16.31, although she fell just short in her attempt to break Tirunesh Dibaba’s world record.
In the sprints, Jamaica’s world 200m silver medallist Elaine Thompson clocked a season’s best time of 11.02 seconds to win the women’s 100m (-1.3 m/s), beating Blessing Okagbare of Nigeria (11.11) and Jamaica’s Kerron Stewart (11.19). American 2011 world champion Carmelita.
Alonso Edward of Panama ran a wind-aided 20.07 (+3.8 m/s) to secure the men’s 200m crown, while American LaShawn Merritt pulled away to land the men’s 400m crown in a 44.64 secs.
Janeive Russell of Jamaica set a personal best of 54.16 to win the women’s 400m hurdles, with American David Oliver (13.12) leaning in to edge out Spain’s Orlando Ortega (13.13) for the men’s 110m hurdles title.
