South Africa’s Caster Semenya. PHOTO/File

Former world champion Caster Semenya made South Africa’s initial team for the London Olympics, but double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius still hasn’t run fast enough to earn a chance to make history at the games.

South Africa’s Olympic committee said Wednesday’s selection, which didn’t include Pistorius, represented “the bulk” of the team to go to London. Some athletes can still qualify and be added ahead of the cutoff on June 30.

Semenya, the former 800-meter world title holder and 2011 world silver medalist, has met the criteria to run at her first Olympics and was one of the first names announced Wednesday.

Pistorius hasn’t yet met the South African qualifying criteria. He needs one more time of 45.30 seconds or better in a 400-meter race at an international meet before the end of the month.

The 25-year-old Pistorius is scheduled to run at the Diamond League’s Adidas Grand Prix this weekend in New York, and the African Championships in June.

South African Olympic committee chief executive Tubby Reddy told The Associated Press his group wouldn’t relax the qualifying criteria for Pistorius, who has met the Olympic qualifying time once this season.

The national rules say he needs to do it again to make the team for the individual one-lap race and become the first amputee track athlete at the Olympics.

Pages: 1 2