Semenya makes it 24 in a row

CASTER Semenya pushed her winning streak in the 800m to 24 races as she triumphed at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene‚ Oregon‚ on Saturday.

Heats and semifinals aside‚ this was Semenya’s narrowest two-lap victory in a streak that started at the Africa Games in 2015.

The Olympic champion crossed the line in this Diamond League meeting in 1min 57.78sec to hold off Rio Games bronze medallist Margaret Wambui of Kenya‚ who was just a 10th of a second adrift.

Olympic silver medallist Francine Niyonsaba was third in 1:59.10.

The 26-year-old Semenya’s effort was more than a second off her 1:56.61 world lead from early this month‚ but Wambui‚ just 21‚ will be one to watch as they head towards the world championships in London in August.

The Kenyan has posted her five best career times since June last year‚ two of them already coming early this year. She is surely set to improve her 1:56.89 personal best from Brazil.

Mo Farah laid down a marker to his rivals with a superb 5 000m victory as US triple jump king Christian Taylor edged ever closer to his dream of a world record leap.

Farah, the four-time Olympic champion who is embarking on his final season of track racing, clocked the fastest time of the year after romping home in 13min 00.70sec at Eugene’s Hayward Field in Oregon.

The 34-year-old British distance running king, who completed a double-double of 5 000m and 10 000m gold at last year’s Olympics, said he had been determined to send a message to his challengers as he builds towards his farewell at the world championships.

“For me, it wasn’t about time. It was a matter of telling the boys, ‘Look, I’m ready’,” Farah said.

Farah’s brilliant tactical victory was one of seven world-leading performances set across a high quality day of action.

The display of the day came from Taylor, 26, the two-time Olympic and world champion who recorded the third-longest leap in history, 18.11m, to win a duel with compatriot Will Claye, who was second with 18.05.

Taylor is now within striking distance of Jonathan Edwards’s world record of 18.29m. – AFP