Caster Semenya took to the track three times on Saturday and with every stride suggested she was hurtling back towards the extraordinary. First she won the South African 400m title in 50.78 seconds, not only the fastest time in the world this year but a personal best by nearly two seconds. Then, after a 50‑minute rest, she coasted to the 800m title in 1:58.45, another world’s best in 2016. Finally, for good measure, she romped home in the 1500m.
It was the first time anyone had won three South African titles in a day but it was the manner of their achievement which left the deepest impression. Semenya barely broke sweat in each race until the home straight. As the TV commentator in the 800m, which she won by seven seconds, put it: “My word this is something special. She is jogging!” As the renowned South African sports scientist Ross Tucker put it: “It’s impossible to know how quickly she could have run but it looked so easy. She looked capable of running in the low 49-seconds for 400m and the 800m in 1:55 or faster.”
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