Cheruiyot and Semenya sizzle in Paris

Cheruiyot and Semenya sizzle in Paris leg

Kenyan world silver medallist Timothy Cheruiyot became the first 1,500-metres runner to dip under 3:30 this year as he easily won in 3:29.71 in Paris Diamond League meeting on Saturday night.

In women's 3,000-metres steeplechase, compatriot Beatrice Chepkoech led a Kenyan sweep  with a personal best 8:59.36. 

Meanwhile, South African Caster Semenya, whose middle-distance career could be under threat because of a new International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) rule, romped to the fourth-fastest women's 800 metres ever and Qatari Abderrahman Samba produced the second-best 400 metres hurdles of all time in the weekend meet.

Olympic and world champion Semenya cruised home in a lifetime best of 1:54.25 and the dominant Samba clocked 46.98 seconds for his fifth consecutive Diamond League win.

Semenya, who is challenging a new hyperandrogenism rule by the IAAF, took nearly a second off her personal best as she claimed her 25th consecutive final win in the event. Burundi's Francine Niyonsaba was second in 1:55.86.

"I did not expect that," Semenya, who ran without pacemakers, said. "I was thinking 1:54.99 could be possible but this was great."

Only world record holder Jarmila Kratochvilova (1:53.28), Nadezhda Olizarenko (1:53.43) and Kenya's Pamela Jelimo (1:54.01) have run faster times.