Caster Semenya to compete in 5,000m event at African Champs

Caster Semenya will make her international championship debut over the 5,000m distance next month after the three-time 800m world champion was included in the South African team yesterday for the African Championships in Mauritius.

Since being sidelined by World Athletics gender regulations, preventing her from competing over her specialist distances (400m – 1,500m) without taking hormone suppressants, Semenya had dabbled in the 200m sprint before focussing on the 5,000m event.

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Training with domestic long-distance star Glenrose Xaba, she has shown potential over 12-and-a-half laps over the last couple of years, but she has struggled to make a real breakthrough.

But while her personal best of 15:31.50, set in Cape Town last month, was more than 20 seconds outside the qualifying standard of 15:10.00 for the World Championships to be held in Eugene in July, it was enough to secure her spot in the continental squad.

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Aside from Semenya, the 89-member national team for the African Championships, to be held in Saint Pierre between 8-12 June, also features the likes of Olympic 100m finalists Akani Simbine (100m) and Kyle Blignaut (shot put), as well as defending champions Antonio Alkana (110m hurdles), Victor Hogan (discus throw) and Ischke Senekal (shot put).

Six athletes have also been included in a powerful 4x100m relay squad – Simbine, Clarence Munyai, Henricho Bruintjies, Emile Erasmus, Sinesipho Dambile and Benjamin Richardson – who will turn out in defence of their continental title.

The African Athletics Championships will be held for the first time since the 2018 edition in Asaba, Nigeria, due to postponements and cancellations caused by the Covid pandemic.