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Superstar Caster Semenya’s successful year gives her an edge to scoop the country’s biggest sport honour at the SA Sports Awards taking place at the Pacofs Hall in Mangaung today.
Semenya received a number of nominations, including Sports Star of the Year, Sportswoman of the Year and the People’s Choice Sports Star of the Year awards.
For the People’s Choice award she is up against Olympic swimmer Chad le Clos; track and long jump specialist Luvo Manyonga; boxer Zolani Tete and footballer Percy Tau.
The 27-year-old runner boasts a three-year unbeaten streak in the 800m, winning the 2016 Olympic title as well as the World Championships last year.
This year she continued with her scintillating form, showing the world that she is an undisputed champion.
The Ga-Masehlong-born Semenya dominated the 800m finals at the Commonwealth Games in April, the African Championships in August, as well as the Diamond League final and Continental Cup in September.
She set the stage early on in the year at the Commonwealth Games, where she brought home gold medals in the 800m and 1 500m.
She was a raging flame when she decimated the 1 500m national record set by Zola Budd in 1984, clocking in at four minutes and 71 seconds (4:00.71) – a vast improvement of Budd’s 4:01.81.
She became the third woman to win 800m and 1 500m Commonwealth Games gold in the in the same year.
At the Championships in Nigeria she broke two long-standing records – first the 18-year-old women’s 400m national record, previously held by Heide Seyerling, and becoming the first South African woman to clock under 50 seconds (49.96).
And then she smashed the African 800m record, previously set at 1:56.36 by Mozambican icon Maria Mutola at the 1993 African Championships in Durban, when she crossed the line at 1:56.06.
She pocketed a cool $50 000 (R718 000) when she won the Diamond League final, her third consecutive victory.
When she clinched the Continental Cup title in Ostrava, Czech Republic, it meant she had won all International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) titles that matter.
Semenya and Manyonga are in the running for the IAAF World Athlete of the Year award in their respective gender categories. They will be hoping to make the short-list of five athletes following a three-way voting process which closes Monday.
Log on to IAAF’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to see which international athletes our local heroes are up against.
Fans determine the People’s Choice Sports Star of the Year award. To vote for your favourite athlete, SMS the keyword SPORTS followed by the letter A, B, C, D or E to 33616.
The nominees are:
Semenya (A); Le Clos (B); Manyonga (C); Tau (D); and Tete (E).
You can also cast your vote on sasportawards.co.za.
