Caster Semenya wins on 400m debut in Bellville

South African World 800m champion, Caster Semenya, eased her way to victory in the women's 400m race at the third and final Yellow Pages Series meeting in Bellville, Cape Town yesterday.

Semenya, who is set to defend her global title in Daegu, South Korea in August, shook off a niggling back injury to clock a modest 54.03 seconds for victory.

She finished well clear of Namibian Tjipekapora Herunga who placed second in 54.40.

The 20-year-old was initially expected to compete over 3 000m, but the organisers opted for a women's 5 000m race instead, and Semenya decided on the eve of the event to compete in the one-lap sprint.

She said she would return to her specialist event at the South African Athletics Championships in Durban in April.

"I'm working on my speed at the moment, so that's why I changed to the shorter 400m this week," Semenya said.

"I'm ready for SA nationals in the 800m, because I'm able to do times around 54 seconds for 400m. It's important I keep working on my speed."

Mokoena upbeat despite loss

World Championship and Olympic long jump silver medallist Khotso Mokoena took it in his stride after a shock defeat to world junior champion Luvo Manyonga.

Mokoena, who recently recovered from ankle and hamstring injuries that kept him out of last year's Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, produced a best distance of 7.97m in his first competition of the season, with Manyonga leaping exactly 8m to bag the win.

"It feels good to be back jumping again after a year of sitting at home nursing all my injuries, Mokoena said.

"It's especially good to be jumping in front of the home crowd and to feel the rush of competition after such a long time."

Xiniwe's unexpected triumph

Zintle Xiniwe won a fast-paced women's 5 000m race in a quality field that included the likes of Rene Kalmer and Irvette Van Blerk.

Xiniwe said she had not expected to come out on top as her training had been focussed on the road.

The 24-year-old, a former national champion at the distance, won in 15:53.53, improving her personal best by almost five seconds. Violet Raseboya was second in 15:58.74 and Kalmer took third in 16:01.33.

"I wasn't prepared for track and I was just taking it easy, but my body felt good and you have to listen to it and just go for it, and I did that," Xiniwe said.

Kalmer, the pre-race favourite, had mixed feelings about her performance.

"I'm very happy with my time but disappointed to only come third," Kalmer said.

Kalmer, who confirmed she had turned her focus away from the track to concentrate on the marathon distance, said the race formed part of a tough training schedule.

"I'm on a marathon programme at the moment so this was just a bit of speed training," Kalmer said.

Kalmer was set to represent South Africa next week at the World Cross Country Championships in Punta Umbria, Spain.

"My main focus at the moment is the Prague Marathon in May, so I'm using the cross country to get stronger and the track to improve my speed," she said.

In the last race of the evening, national steeplechase record holder Ruben Ramolefe became the first South African in five years to break the four-minute mark in the men's mile on local soil.

Ramolefi won in 3:59.69, holding off a strong challenge from Pharson Magagane, who crossed the line in 4:00.00, and Jacques Pretorius who took third in 4:00.15.

"I knew it was going to be very hard tonight, and I probably would have been happy with 4:02 or 4:03, but it's special to break the four minute mark," Ramolefe said.

© South African Press Association