Sport
Caster Semenya of South Africa qualifies for Olympics 800 m race
South Africa’s Caster Semenya. PHOTO/File
Former world champion Caster Semenya qualified for the 800 meters at the London Olympics on Friday.
The South African eased concerns about her early season form by running 1 minute, 59.58 seconds in a provincial meet on her home track at the University of Pretoria.
It was the second time she ran faster than the qualifying time of 1:59.90, making her eligible for her first Olympics when South Africa’s team is likely announced in July.
“I have to win a gold at the Olympics. That’s what I want,” Semenya said. “My dream is to win the Olympics, and that’s my plan. I feel OK because now I can run good races again, run faster. Qualifying for the Olympics, it’s a good step forward.”
The 21-year-old Semenya first ran in under 2 minutes while winning silver at last year’s world championships in South Korea.
She failed to break 2 minutes in her first two races this year, including the successful defense of her national title, but found her form in a dominant win Friday with help from Namibian pacemaker Herunga Tjipekapora.
Tjipekapora led Semenya through about 450 meters before giving way. Semenya’s nearest challengers finished well behind, with Monique Stander almost three seconds back in second.
