Semenya sets new season's best time
THE first of two Yellow Pages Interprovincial Challenges saw some of South Africa's top athletes hitting top form in time for the SA Championships in Durban on April 8 and 9.
Caster Semenya continued her steady improvement by wining the 800m in 2min:1,77sec. Semenya led from early in the first lap right through to the line and shaved three seconds off her previous season's best.
"This was part of my build-up to Durban (the SA Championships)," said the World 800m champion. "I hope to be at two minutes in Durban and then improve on that in Europe. What is needed is someone to take the first lap through in 60 seconds."
Central Gauteng's Mandie Brandt was a distant second in 2:06,28. Semenya went on to place second behind Tjipekora Herunga (52,32) in the 400m, her time of 52,54 seconds an improvement on the 53,36 she ran in the second leg of the Yellow Pages Series.
This time equalled the top time of 2010 from SA champion Estie Wittstock.
Khotso Mokoena, the world silver medallist long jumper, had the crowd behind him with every leap, the second of which went out to 8.17m. He followed with two more jumps over the 8m mark before calling it a day.
"I'm pleased with this and the consistency of jumping," said Mokoena who will also compete in the triple jump at the SA championships. "I was around 20 centimetre behind the board, so there's more to come."
Towards the end of May Mokoena will head to Europe for a short spell on the circuit before returning for the final preparation for the World Championships.
After a false start on the first time of asking, Hannes Dreyer set the stadium alight by leading the 100m sprint from gun to line in 10,17 seconds, holding off national champion Simon Magakwe who was 0,7 seconds adrift.
Dreyer's performance was a 0,3-second improvement on his personal record and the ninth fastest time ever by a South African but was aided by a 2,1m/sec wind.
"Even with the wind I'm exceptionally pleased with this," said the Gauteng North athlete of his first outing of the season. "I've taken a slower build-up this year, with the SA Championships a step on the ladder to Europe. If you want to be the best you have to race the best and I want to get my qualifier (for the 2012 Olympics) this year."
Dreyer secured the double by taking the 200m ahead of Thuso Mpuang in 20,88.
A surprise change of event by SA 400m hurdle record holder LJ van Zyl brought the crowd to their feet when he blasted a lap of the track in 44,86 seconds, the fifth all-time best by a South African.
