Olympics Rio 2016: Caster Semenya strikes late to win 800m

The South African set a national record of 1:55.28 to finish comfortably clear of Burundi’s Francine Niyonsaba and Kenya’s Margaret Wambui, who took silver and bronze respectively.

Great Britain’s Lynsey Sharp was sixth.

"The race was really quick. The first 400 we were pushing ourselves, it was great," Semenya told reporters. "It was just about being patient ... I have a very quick last 200, I just have to utilise it."

Talk had surfaced of a potential challenge to Jarmila Kratochvilova’s long-standing world record from 1983 of 1:53.28, but Semenya sat back and allowed Niyonsaba to set the pace until the final 150m.

However, the 25-year-old could still assault the record before the season ends, with all the signs from Brazil suggesting she is more than capable.