GOLD COAST, Australia -- It wasn't exactly a one-woman race on Tuesday night, but Caster Semenya certainly showed she has no issue stepping up in distance on the big stage.
The South African was electric in her victory in the women's 1500m at the Commonwealth Games, running a perfect race from start to finish to take gold ahead of Kenyan Beatrice Chepkoech and Wales' Melissa Courtney.
The two-time Olympic champion over 800 metres, Semenya settled on the outside of a packed bunch, six off the lead held by Chepkoech. The 27-year-old South African held that position before moving herself up to third approaching the final lap.
It was on the back straight where Semenya made her move, first cruising past Australia's Linden Hall, and then Chepkoech, with ease. The race firmly in her grasp, Semenya then exploded round the bend as she pulled away to a 15-metre margin, crossing the finish line in a time of 4.00.71, a Games and South African record.
"I think it was a quite a good race, tactically we have gone well," Semenya, who came third In this distance in the 2017 World Championships, said.
"It's all about being patient, 1500m is a tactical race; you've got to know when to move. For us, in worked in our favour even if it was a little bit delayed. But it was quite a nice race."
The delay Semenya speaks of was a 15-minute pause while officials addressed a problem with the timekeeping mechanism. The field had been brought to the start line on time, only for the women to be held and eventually told to back away.
"I think, because it rained, it messed up the clock and they had to make sure that the clock is running," Semenya said. "It cannot be messed up, especially when we're counting laps; it was okay, it wasn't bad."
Semenya can now plot her assault in her pet event, the 800m, on Friday night. Having won the 800m crown at both the London and Rio Olympics, Semenya is likely to make even lighter work of the field when she returns to Carrara Stadium later this week.
Winning the middle-distance double at the Commonwealth Games, however, isn't something she's particularly motivated by.
"For me, I think as a middle-distance runner, I think I've gone enough for my collection," she said. "But this is for my country, this is for the youth; we're inspiring the youth back there [in South Africa].
"So we just want to show them all it's possible, that they can do it; they just need to work hard."
What about a potential world record in the 800m, then?
"At the moment, I cannot speak about the records," Semenya said. "I just want to enjoy this championship, it's my first [Commonwealth Games] championship. What I can say is that it will be a good race, so after this 1500m I will say I'm ready."