Being banned from her favoured events won’t stop the “supernatural” Caster Semenya from going for gold at the Tokyo Olympics.
The South African is confident she will book her ticket to Japan by qualifying for the 200m after switching to the sprint distance in a bid to avoid World Athletics regulations aimed at lowering her testosterone.
Semenya is a double Olympic gold medallist in the 800m but as an athlete with differences in sexual development (DSD), she must now limit her naturally high levels of testosterone when racing in events ranging from 400m to a mile.
She has consistently refused, citing the negative effects of the medication on her body, and will avoid the need to do so if she runs over the shorter sprint.
The 29-year-old is confident she can make the switch after clocking a personal best of 23.49 in Pretoria on Friday to move closer to the 22.80 time needed to qualify for Tokyo.
"SUPERNATURAL": Caster Semenya. Picture: Supplied.
Semenya says: “It’s possible. I call myself supernatural so I can do anything I want. It’s all about putting in the hard work.
“I’m a power athlete. I can do anything from 100 to the marathon.”
Semenya says she has a long history in the 200m and had it not been for a lack of coaching in South Africa’s rural Limpopo province, she might have made a career out of the distance.
She adds: “Even if we don’t qualify for the Olympics, it does not matter. What matters is we’re on the track. We are there so that’s the goal. You’ll see a lot of me. That’s a promise.”
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Semenya is appealing to the Swiss Federal Tribunal against a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling that supported the regulations introduced by the sport’s governing body, World Athletics.