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Now Caster Semenya sets her eyes on Zola Budd's 34-year-old record

Caster Semenya competes in the Women's Senior 1000m at the Athletix Grand Prix Athletics Series at Tuks Stadium, Pretoria on 08 March 2018.
Caster Semenya competes in the Women's Senior 1000m at the Athletix Grand Prix Athletics Series at Tuks Stadium, Pretoria on 08 March 2018.
Image: Gavin Barker/BackpagePix

Caster Semenya is looking to break Zola Budd’s 34-year-old South African 1500m record at the final Liquid Telecom Athletix Grand Prix meet in Paarl on Thursday.

Although there will be no pace-maker to assist her‚ Semenya‚ the world championship bronze medallist in this event‚ will go up against US-based Dominique Scott‚ holder of the 4min 07.25sec SA indoor record.

Semenya‚ winner the SA outdoor title at the national championships in Pretoria this past weekend‚ has already come close to the 4:01.81 Budd posted in Port Elizabeth on March 21‚ 1984.

She went 4:01.99 at the African championships in Durban in 2016.

“At SAs it is all about the title‚ so the race is more like to be tactical‚” Semenya said‚ referring to her 4:10.68 effort at the Tuks track on Friday night.

“I am really looking forward to Zola’s record.

"I have the 800m and the 1000m record so it will be good to get the 1500m record too‚” she added in a statement released by organisers on Monday.

Semenya and Scott are both in great shape.

Scott‚ with an outdoor best of 4:08.04 from last year‚ has broken two national indoor records this season‚ at 1500m and 3000m.

Semenya ran her fastest-ever 800m time on home soil at the weekend and‚ at the second meet of the series‚ also in Pretoria nearly two weeks ago‚ she broke the rarely run 1000m mark.

Meanwhile‚ Carina Horn‚ who went 11.03 to beat Evette de Klerk’s national 100m mark at the SA championships‚ has been confirmed for the Paarl meet.

Her next target is the 11-second barrier.

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