Caster Semenya failed in her latest attempt to achieve the Olympic qualifying time for the 5,m, but she would not have been included in the South Africa team for the Tokyo Games even if she had. The year-old finished in fourth place with a time of 15 minutes, Athletics South Africa said Semenya had missed the deadline for Olympic entries, which was on Tuesday, and they were told by governing body World Athletics no exceptions would be allowed.
Double Olympic m champion Semenya has been barred from defending her title and from running in events from m to one mile at top track meets under World Athletics testosterone rules. In 12 years at the top, Semenya has won two Olympic golds and three world championship titles, but her success has come amid near-constant interference by track authorities.
She has only competed free of restrictions of one type or another for three of those 12 years. The key for World Athletics is that these athletes have testosterone levels that are higher than the typical female range.
The track body argues that gives them an unfair advantage. Semenya is the highest-profile athlete affected by the regulations, but not the only one. The rules demand that Semenya lower her testosterone levels artificially — by either taking birth control pills daily, having hormone-blocking injections or undergoing surgery — to be allowed to run in races from meters to one mile. Semenya has simply refused to do that, pointing out the irony that in a sport where doping is such a scourge, authorities want her to take drugs to be eligible to run at the Olympics.
They should focus on doping, not us. It means Semenya can compete in the and meters and long-distance races without lowering her testosterone levels. You could walk away having accomplished so much in your sport. My target was maybe to win certain medals.
I still feel fresh. I still feel young. I cannot walk away if I feel like I can still do this thing. On April 15, you won the South African national championship in that race, but your time was more than 40 seconds slower than the minimum Olympic standard. Can you shave off 40 seconds in time for Tokyo? In distance, 40 seconds is nothing. For a particular day, you can produce a magical performance. In 12 laps, I can rectify mistakes in every race.
You originally were planning to run the m. Why did you switch? A lot has changed, because people begin to see things in a different way. At first, you probably see me as your enemy. Then you tend to see people start reaching out. Sections U. Science Technology Business U. Semenya misses Tokyo, may be forced out of Olympics for good. Caster Semenya reacts before the women's meter race in Regensburg, Saturday, June 19, The two-time meter Olympic champion from South Africa once again missed out on qualifying for the Summer Games in Tokyo during her surprising start in Regensburg.
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