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Caster Semenya and Akani Simbine lit up the first instalment of Varsity Athletics with performances that earned them accolades for the best athletes of the meet in their respective categories on Friday night.
The razzmatazz university track-and-field event eventually took place at the University of Johannesburg, after being postponed from the initial March 4 date due to the recent spate of student protests on campuses countrywide.
Running in the colours of North-West University, Semenya won the 400m final in a record-breaking time of 52.45 seconds, while Pretoria University (Tuks) sprinter Simbine took the 100m race in 10.18 seconds.
Although Semenya’s time was almost a second slower than the 51.47 time she ran at the North West provincial championships last weekend, Friday night’s run still bettered the 53.95 time previously set by South Africa’s double sprint senior champion, Justine Palframan, of Stellenbosch University (Maties).
Semenya and Simbine, who are the reigning South African senior champions in the 800m and 100m events, respectively, took home R1 500 each.
“I am just having fun in domestic competition. My main focus is the Olympics in Rio [in August]. I am 25 now and I believe I am reaching my peak,” said Semenya after the race.
“I am enjoying what I’m doing with a lighter body, having struggled with being overweight.”
Semenya revealed she shed about 5kg in the 11-month period since
she relocated to Potchefstroom to join the stable of renowned middle- and
long-distance specialist coach Jean Verster at the North West high-performance
institution.
The second leg of the Varsity meeting will take place at Maties on April 7.
