KEY POINTS

  • The South African appears on the path towards Olympic gold.
  • Sharp finished second in Semenya's semi-final.

South Africa's Caster Semenya underlined her status as the favourite to win Olympic gold with an impressive performance in her 800m semi-final. The 25-year-old star produced a dominant performance in Rio to easily qualify for the final ahead of Great Britain's Lynsey Sharp.

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Semenya - who has 22 wins from 23 races this year - eased away from her rivals in the home straight and appeared to have plenty left in the tank, too. Sharp, on the other hand, was forced to work harder to qualify, but revealed she is already looking forward to the final.

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"I have just been so looking forward to getting that Q next to my name," Sharp told the BBC. "I am so happy to have done that. It didn't really go as I planned, I was in a few positions I did not plan on but the main thing was to stay patient, trust in my coach and it paid off.

"I live for this stuff and to get into the final is a massive relief but this is where it really starts."

Meanwhile, in an earlier semi-final, Great Britain's Shelayna Oskan-Clarke missed the chance to qualify for the final, as her dream faded in a hotly-contested sprint finish. The 26-year-old appeared well-placed to make a last-ditch effort to make the final in the closing moments, but was ultimately run out of the qualifying positions, with Joanna Jozwik crossing the line first.