Team South Africa Shines In Monaco!


Mike Finch |

It was a busy night for South African athletes at the IAAF Diamond League meeting – and they did not disappoint!

Image from https://monaco.diamondleague.com/.
Image from https://monaco.diamondleague.com/.

Wayde van Niekerk, Caster Semenya, Akani Simbine, and Dominique Scott lined up in Monaco on Friday night to show the world what South Africans are made of.

In the much-anticipated men’s 400m, Van Niekerk sprinted to victory against a strong field, including Botswana locals Isaac Makwala who came a close second in 43.84, and Baboloki Thebe third in 44.26. Starting in lane five, Van Niekerk ran strong, needing to dig deep in the last few metres but finished victorious breaking the meeting record in 43.75. Van Niekerk is the current world-record holder in the 400m (43.03), which he achieved at The 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. He recently broke the 21-year-old meeting record (43.66) in Lausanne, set by Michael Johnson in 1996.

“I can definitely imagine running 42 (seconds). Last year, at the age of 24, I managed to run a 43.03, so it’s definitely something I’m aiming for. I want to improve my time. It’s bound to happen – at the right race, in the perfect moment, I’m sure it will happen,” said Van Niekerk, when a reporter asked him if he has an obsession with breaking the 43-second barrier.       

 

In the women’s 800m, Caster Semenya lead the tight field until the last 100m when she took a stronger lead finishing first in a time of 1:55:27. Francine Niyonsaba and Ajee Wilson were hot on her heels.

Image from https://monaco.diamondleague.com.
Image from https://monaco.diamondleague.com.

Semenya now holds the world leading time for 2017 of 1:55:27 after Friday nights performance. Jarmila Kratochvílová is the current world-record holder in the women’s 800m (1:53.28).

Cape Town native Dominique Scott (PB: 8:46.65) lined up for the women’s 3,000m in the fifth lane, against a fierce group of runners, including Kenya’s Hellen Obiri (PB: 8:20.68). Obiri completely smashed the field, leading by around 50m on the final straight, winning the 3,000m in 8:23:14, followed by Beatrice Chepkoe (8:28.66) and Laura Muir (8:30.64) who came second and third respectively. Scott ran a strong race finishing 11th in a time of 8:41:33.

In the men’s 100m, Akani Simbine was up against the fastest man in the world, Usain Bolt. But the athlete – who has ran under 10 seconds eight times already this year – gave it his all, and finished in third place, in a time of 10.02. Bolt proved again that he is the fastest winning in a time of 9.95, followed by American Isiah Young in 9.98. This is the final race for Bolt before the IAAF World Championships in London, after which he will be retiring from the sport.

Catch Caster, Wayde and Akani racing at the IAAF World Championships in London from 4-13 August 2017.

READ MORE ON: akani simbine caster-semenya wayde van niekerk

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