DURBAN, South Africa (AP) — World champion Caster Semenya cruised into the 800 meters final at the South African national championships.
She led from the start to win her heat in two minutes, 8.09 seconds Saturday in Durban, South Africa.
Semenya barely broke sweat on day one of the two-day nationals at Kings Park Athletics Stadium. She looked comfortable throughout and pulled away from the chasing pack over the final 50 meters.
The 20-year-old Semenya is aiming for a time under two minutes at the meet to kickstart her season after recovering from a back injury.
Semenya will look to regain the South African title in the 800 final Sunday. She won it in 2009, but was unable to defend last year because of an 11-month layoff following gender tests.
