Semenya wins 400 title in national record 49.96 at African Championships to become first individual since 2004 to achieve impressive double

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

South Africa’s Caster Semenya became the seventh female athlete in history to run under 50 seconds for 400 meters and under 2 minutes for 800 meters, producing a national record of 49.96 seconds to win the 400 title Friday at the 21st African Championships in Asaba, Nigeria.

Semenya arrived at the meet with a 400 personal best of 50.40 from 2016 in Belgium.

She became only the sixth female athlete this year to run sub-50 and the 87th in history. Semenya eclipsed the South African 400 record of 50.05 held since 2000 by Heide Seyerling-Quinn.

Semenya now holds national outdoor records in the 400, 600, 800, 1,000 and 1,500. She also holds the world record in the 600 at 1:21.77 from last year in Berlin and ranks No. 6 all-time in the 1,000 following her 2:31.01 effort July 13 in Morocco.

Semenya, who ran a personal-best 1:54.25 in the 800 on June 30 in Paris, became the first female athlete to achieve the sub-50 and sub-2:00 double since Russia’s Olga Kotlyarova in 2004.

Also on the all-time sub-50 and sub-2:00 list are American Jearl Miles-Clark, East Germany’s Gaby Bussman and Dagmar Neubauer, Cuba’s Ana Fidelia Quirot and 800 world record-holder Jarmila Kratochvilova of Czech Republic.

Only Kratochvilova boasts a faster 800 (1:53.28) than Semenya, who is the No. 4 all-time performer. The other six athletes on the list have all produced faster 400 marks than Semenya, who is equal to No. 82 in history.