Caster Semenya runs fastest 800 meters by a woman on U.S. soil

By August Howell

Ajeé Wilson stood hunched over the fence in the media tent next to the track, trying to catch her breath. The American record holder had just leaned past Francine Niyonsaba to take second in the women’s 800 meters at the Prefontaine Classic.

Wilson said she was more tired than usual, as she had to move past Ethiopia’s Habitam Alemu, avoid being tripped on the final turn, then go all-out in the final straightaway to overtake Niyonsaba.

“That last 200 meters of the race I kind made a couple mistakes, but I’m glad I was able to come away with second,” she said.

Wilson finished in 1 minute, 56.86 seconds, just. 02 ahead of Niyonsaba, who finished in 1:56.88.

But well ahead of both was Caster Semenya, who outkicked the rest of the field with 125 meters left to finish with a meet record 1:55:92, the fastest 800 meters by a woman on U.S. soil.

Despite the controversy surrounding Semenya and the IAAF’s impeding ruling of regulating female testosterone levels, she focused all her energy on the race.

“I’m here to perform,” Semenya said. “To be honest, I’m just an athlete. There’s nothing I can do or say about that.”

In a race that featured the top three finishers from the Rio Olympics and the 2017 world championships, Semenya closed the final lap in 57.99 seconds and never looked uncomfortable.

“When you live life, you gain experience,” Semenya said. “I’ve been in this world almost three decades now. … You just want to inspire people. Inspire the youth to show them that you believe anything is possible.”

From the start, Semenya tucked in right behind the pacesetter, Chrishuna Williams, who led the first 500 meters. With 200 meters to go, the field was still condensed. Former Duck Raevyn Rogers was in the mix, and she finished seventh with a season-best 1:59.36, a full two seconds faster than her last 800 meters at the Adidas Boston Games.

“I’ve been, I guess, in a way scared to get really in the mix with things,” Rogers said. “But with this meet, I was really excited. I was able to really do the best that I could and actually finish close and still go sub two. … It’s a good day for me.”

Semenya admitted she was eyeing the world record of 1:53.28. She said Saturday was just the first step in a very long journey to achieve that goal.

“Now it’s no longer about running hard,” she said. “It’s about running smart.”

If Semenya, already historically dominant, starts putting serious work into setting a world record, the rest of the field could be in trouble.

As Wilson put it, “It’s good to get second.”

August Howell

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