CWG2018: Semenya grabs gold for #TeamSA

After the sheer insanity of Monday, where South Africa won nine medals and bagged a glut of gold in the pool, Tuesday was positively subdued in comparison.

Brad Tandy added another silver medal for South Africa in the pool, winning silver in the men’s 50m freestyle while the men's 4 x 100m medley relay team also added a bronze.

But the day belonged to South Africa’s Queen of the Track, Caster Semenya.

In search of doing the 1,500m/800m double, Semenya ticked the first box in an emphatic effort, setting a new games record in

time

of 4:00.71.

Despite a lengthy delay after issues with the starting equipment, Semenya looked completely unflustered on a track still wet from rain earlier in the evening.

As she always does, the South African was happy to sit towards the middle of the pack for the first few laps, hardly breaking a sweat.

Then, in the final straight, Semenya let loose and won with daylight between her and Kenya’s Beatrice Chepkoech who came in second.

The win took South Africa’s overall medal tally at the Games to 21, still in fifth place on the overall table.

There’s more chance for bling on Wednesday, though, and plenty of excitement to come.

Both Clarence Munyai and Anaso Jobodwana qualified for the semi-finals of the men's 200m while Ruswahl Samaai and Luvo Manyonga are both through to the finals of the men's long jump.

There was

disappointment

for LJ van Zyl, the Games record holder in the 400m

hurdles,

when he failed to progress to final.

Also somewhat disappointing was 110m hurdles African champion, Antonio Alkana, who finished fifth in the final. He missed out on a medal by the merest of fractions, though, 0.11 to be exact.

Good news for the netball team, though, with the South Africans managing their first win at the Games, beating 92-18. South Africa now play Barbados on Wednesday.

Total medals won by South Africa at the 2018 Commonwealth Games

Gold medals: 9

Silver medals: 6

Bronze medals: 6

Full list of South African medal winners

Gold medal winners

Henri Schoeman - men's triathlon

Tatjana Schoenmaker - women's 200m breaststroke

Chad le Clos - men's 200m butterfly

Chad le Clos - men's 50m butterfly

Cameron van der Burgh - men's 50m breaststroke

Tatjana Schoenmaker - women's 100m breaststroke

Chad le Clos - men's 100m butterfly

Akani Simbine - men's 100m

Caster Semenya - women's 1,500m

Silver medal winners

Chad le Clos - men's 100m freestyle

Esme Kruger,

Nicolene

Neal, Johanna Snyman and Elma Davis - women's fours lawn bowls

Dylan Buis - men's T38 100m

Christian Sadie - men’s S6 50m freestyle

Henricho

Bruintjies - men's 100m

Brad Tandy - men's 50 freestyle

Bronze medal winners

Ryan Coetzee - men's 50m butterfly

Cameron van der Burgh - men's 100m breaststroke

Colleen Piketh - women's singles lawn bowls

Mona Pretorius - women's 63kg weightlifting

Charl Du Toit - men's T38 100m (WR time)

Team South Africa - men's 4 x 100m medley relay

Who to watch on Wednesday

All times below are South African, using a 24-hour clock format.

Sunette Viljoen is in action in the women's javelin final at 11:45 followed by Manyonga and Samaai in the men's long jump at 12:32. That's followed by Munyani and Jobodwana in the men's 200m semis.

South Africa also has athletes competing in diving, gymnastics, hockey, para table tennis bowls and badminton throughout the day.

For a full list of results on day six, see teamsa.co.zaand see here

for

a full list of South Africans competing on Thursday. DM

Caster Semenya (Left) of South Africa in action during the women's 1500m heat one on day five of the XXI Commonwealth Games, at the Gold Coast, Australia, Monday, April 9, 2018. EPA/DEAN LEWINS