Nyairera bags silver as Semenya completes the double

IN GOLD COAST

South Africa's Caster Semenya on Friday completed her double after coasting to a Games Record of 1.56.68 to win the 800m in the Commonwealth Games, with Kenya's Margaret Nyairera second.

Nyairera once again failed to beat the strong South African to settle for silver in womens’ 800m final.

Nyairera, the 2015 World 800m bronze medallist, pumped her pistons but couldn’t match Semenya to finish second for silver in 1:58.07 as the Olympic and World champion completed a double in a Games Record time of 1:56.68.

Semenya, who had won Games women’s 1,500m gold on Tuesday, erased the previous Games Record of 1:57.35 set by Joanna Houareau from Seychelles from the 2002 Manchester Games.

Jamaican Natoya Goule clocked a personal best of 1:58.82 for bronze.

Semenya's double at these Commonwealth Games has been received with mixed feelings here.

Australia is a country that appreciates individual freedoms and even has bisexual toilets.

But the muted reception that greeted the controversial Semenya's 800m triumph Fridaylast night spoke volumes about the reservations fans and athletes alike still have for the South African competing in women-only races.

Semenya endures testosterone tests with world track and field governing body, IAAF, giving the athlete a clean bill of health to compete.

Kenya's silver medallist Margaret Nyairera's power has also raised a few eyebrows, but there's no-one capable of matching the South African for pace.

Semenya (1:56.68) won in a gun-to-tape performance, tagging silver winner Nyairera (1:58.97) and bronze medallist Nagoya Goule of Jamaica (1:58.82) both under the two-minute mark.

Semenya wasn't taking any chances, her incredible splits being 28.1 seconds at 200 metres, 43.3 (300m), 58.7 (400m), 1:56.68 (500m) and 1:28.9 (600m) before crushing to the finish, opening up a 10-metre gap with the chasing Nyairera.

And in the post-race interview, she was her usual confident self.

"I don't care what people say or think. My parents love me for who I am and it's always important to surround yourself with the right people with the right attitude," she said.

The 20-year-old Polokwane-born Olympic champion told Nation Sport that she will honour the Africa Championships in July, and that she would like to be "the best ever" in the two-lap race.

"I wanna be greater than (Mozambique's) Maria Mutola. She was around for two decades. I want to be the best."

Kenya's Eglay Nalyanya, who finished eighth in 2:03.08, said Semenya's pace was too fast at 400m and she couldn't respond.

“The season is still early and we are doing 54-56 seconds over 400 metres in training. When I saw Semenya had crossed 400m in 58, I knew I couldn’t match that pace,” said the athlete, who trains in Iten.

“But I draw a lot of positives from Semenya because she helped me attain my personal best,” she added, referring to the semi-finals of the two-lap race in which she finished third in 2:00.28 with Semenya winning in 1:59.26.

The 22-year-old silver medallist Nyairera said she gave it her all, but Semenya was too fast for her, but was happy for the silver.

“I still have many races coming up including the Africa Championships (in Nigeria in July) and the Continental Championships (in Czech Republic in September), so I will go back to Ngong and discuss with my coach the aspects of the race that I need to improve,” she said.

“I have won bronze before (at the 2016 Rio Olympics) and now I have silver, which means I can only go for gold next,” she added.