Caster Semenya edged closer to qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics at a meeting in Durban, but remained outside the required time in the 5,000m. Picture: Roger Sedres/Gallo Images
While she continues her struggle to compete on the track, Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya has taken another step forward in her personal life.
Semenya confirmed on Tuesday she had graduated from the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) with a B Tech in sports management.
ALSO READ: Caster Semenya still in the running for Tokyo Olympics
“Today it’s that day but virtual, not the same feeling like the walk of fame for those few seconds,” Semenya said on social media, sharing an image of a graduation outfit.
After matriculating from Nthema Senior Secondary School in Limpopo in 2008, Semenya enrolled at the University of Pretoria.
Later, in 2015, she opted for a move to Potchefstroom, where she earned a diploma in sports science from North-West University.
Having graduated, she went on to enrol for a B Tech in sports management at TUT in 2018, moving back to Pretoria and signing a deal as a sports ambassador for the institution.
One of South Africa’s most accomplished athletes in any sport, Semenya has juggled her studies and her athletic career for more than a decade, while being locked in a lengthy court battle in an attempt to have controversial gender rules overturned.
A two-time Olympic gold medalist and three-time world champion, the 30-year-old athlete holds the South African women’s records over every distance from 400m to 1,500m.
She is trying to qualify for this year’s Tokyo Olympics in the 5,000m event after being prevented from competing in her specialist 800m distance.
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