South Africa’s Caster Semenya won her first international 400m race at the Diamond League meeting in Brussels on Friday.
The 25-year-old, who won Olympic gold over 800m, beat a field featuring five Rio 2016 finalists, including bronze medallist Shericka Jackson.
Semenya set a personal best of 50.40 seconds to win in Belgium.
Although she dropped down in distance to the 400m, she still impressed, not just with her sheer speed but her timing and tactics.
Stephenie-Ann McPherson just had the edge over Natasha Hastings as the pair entered the home straight but Semenya came from fifth with 50 metres remaining to go past a quartet of more experienced 400m runners to win.
USA’s Courtney Okolo also came through strongly late in the race and finished second with 50.51, getting the verdict over McPherson who was given the same time but whose third place was good enough to give her the Diamond Race by seven points from Hastings, who finished fifth.
When quizzed about whether she had Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s AG Insurance Memorial Van Damme meeting record of 10.72 in mind as she went into her last race of the season, Elaine Thompson said that she just wanted to run fast and professed not to even be aware of what her compatriot had run three years ago.
However, her indifference on Thursday had certainly melted away ahead of the gun going off on Friday.
