Semenya back on song

Athletics Diamond League : South African races to victory in 800 metres

Caster Semenya sent an Olympics warning to her rivals in Doha Friday with a 2016 world best time in the 800M of 1:58.26, on a night otherwise dominated by Kenyan and American athletes.

In the first Diamond League meeting of the season, Semenya powered through the final 200M and confirm her return to her very best form.

In doubly bad news for her rivals in an Olympics year, the South African admitted afterwards she had held back from running at full pace during the race. "I am just quite happy with anything under two minutes," she said.

"We are just focused on the time. I had to hold back a bit as it wasn't my pace. It's all about running well in every race."

Friday night's time at the Qatar Sports Club stadium would have been good enough for her to finish sixth at the 2012 London Olympics.

She seemed to labour through the first 500M and was well down the field as they approached the final bend. But then she eased past her rivals to secure first place.

Ethiopia's Habitam Alemu came second in a personal best time of 1:59.14 and Eunice Jepkoech Sum was third in 1:59.74, a season's best for the Kenyan.

Semenya said her early season form was down to "hard work" and running free of a knee injury which has plagued her for some time.

The 25-year-old's impressive victory came after an astonishing performance last month back home winning three races — the 400M, 800M and 1500M — in one afternoon. There she ran the 800M in 1:58.45. Semenya has been dogged by controversy since bursting onto the scene in the 2009 World Championships.

Following that victory she was subject to a gender test before going on to secure silver medals at the 2011 World Championships and 2012 Olympics.

Her early season form suggests she could become one of the major talking points in an Olympics year, with some already suggesting her resurgence may be due to a decision last year by CAS to suspend testing on female athletes taking testosterone suppressants.

It has not known, however, if Semenya has even ever been on such medication.
Elsewhere, it was Kenyan middle-distance runners who impressed.

In the men's 1500M, three-time world champion Asbel Kiprop destroyed a high-class field to underline his stated intention to reclaim Olympic gold later this year.

The Kenyan cruised home by a margin of around 10m and even had time to wave to the crowd as he made his way down the final 50 metres.

Kiprop — also the 2008 1500M Olympic champion — won in a time of 3:32:15 secs, more than a second-and-a-half ahead of fellow countrymen Elijah Manangoi and third-placed Silas Kiplagat.

Results: Men: 200M:  Ameer Webb (US) 19.85, 1; Alonso Edward (Panama) 20.06, 2; Femi Ogunode (Qatar) 20.10, 3.   

110M hurdles: Omar McLeod (Jamaica) 13.05, 1; Hansle Parchment (Jamaica) 13.10, 2; Orlando Ortega (Spain) 13.12, 3.   

400M: LaShawn Merritt (US) 44.41, 1; Machel Cedenio (Trinidad and Tobago) 44.68, 2; Abdalelah Haroun (Qatar) 44.81, 3.   

1500M: Asbel Kiprop (Kenya) 3:32.15, 1; Elijah Manangoi (Kenya) 3:33.67, 2;  Silas Kiplagat (Kenya) 3:33.86, 3. 

3000M steeplechase: Conseslus Kipruto (Kenya) 8:05.13, 1; Jairus Kipchoge Birech (Kenya) 8:08.28, 2; Abraham Kibiwott (Kenya) 8:09.25, 3.  

High jump: Erik Kynard (US) 2.33M, 1; Zhang Guowei (China) 2.31M, 2; Marco Fassinotti (Italy) 2.29M, 3.    

Triple jump: Christian Taylor (US) 17.23M, 1; Dong Bin (China) 17.07M, 2; Alexis Copello (Cuba) 16.98M, 3.   

Discus throw: Piotr Malachowski (Poland) 68.03M, 1; Philip Milanov (Belgium) 67.26M, 2; Victor Hogan (South Africa) 65.59M, 3.   

4x400M relay: Japan (3:02.29) 1; Japan (3:02.45) 2; Qatar (3:03.91) 3.  
Women: 100M: Tori Bowie (US) 10.80, 1; Dafne Schippers (Netherlands) 10.83, 2; Veronica Campbell-Brown (Jamaica) 10.91, 3.   

400M hurdles: Eilidh Doyle (Britain) 54.53, 1; Kemi Adekoya (Bahrain) 54.87, 2; Kaliese Spencer (Jamaica) 55.02, 3.   

800M: Caster Semenya (South Africa) 1:58.26, 1; Habitam Alemu (Ethiopia) 1:59.14, 2; Eunice Jepkoech Sum (Kenya) 1:59.74, 3. 

3000M: Almaz Ayana (Ethiopia) 8:23.11, 1; Mercy Cherono (Kenya) 8:26.36, 2; Gelete Burka (Ethiopia) 8:28.49, 3. 

Triple jump: Caterine Ibargueen (Colombia) 15.04, 1; Yulimar Rojas (Venezuela) 14.92, 2; Olga Rypakova (Kazakhstan) 14.61, 3.   

Pole vault: Sandi Morris (US) 4.83, 1; Nicole Buechler (Switzerland) 4.78, 2; Ekaterini Stefanidi (Greece) 4.73, 3.    

Shot put: Tia Brooks (US) 19.48, 1; Anita Marton (Hungary) 19.22, 2; Emel Dereli (Turkey) 18.57, 3.   

Javelin throw: Sunette Viljoen (South Africa) 65.14, 1; Kathryn Mitchell (Australia) 63.25, 2; Lu Huihui (China) 62.42, 3.