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L. MathekaSemenya bags 3000m PB as she looks to qualify for World Championships
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Reading Time: 2min | Fri. 25.03.22. | 10:03
The athlete's appeals to have her suspension, and other women who fall into the category, lifted have fallen on deaf ears.
Double Olympic 800m champion who has since moved to the middle-distance races, Caster Semenya outclassed a quality domestic field on Wednesday night, racing to a new personal best in the women's 3 000m race at the second leg of the ASA Athletics Grand Prix Series in Cape Town.
Semenya opened a big gap on the last three laps to win in 8:54.97, chopping nearly 10 seconds off her 3000m career-best of 9:04.20 which she set in Potchefstroom last year.
Biologically born woman, Caster Semenya was banned from competing in female sports due to elevated levels of testosterone. On the right, is William Thomas, now Lia Thomas, has just competed and won in women's swimming nationals in the USA. We are living in very interesting times pic.twitter.com/lcW1aCwJj1
— Mark Mugo (@markmugo_) March 19, 2022
The three-time World Athletics champion, still suspended by World Athletics from racing over her best distances unless she takes hormone suppressants, finished well ahead of runner-up Aynslee van Graan (9:09.63) and training partner Glenrose Xaba, who also set a personal best in 9:12.51.
Semenya is looking to join fellow suspended athlete, Olympic silver medalist Francine Niyonsaba, on the 5000m for the World Championships set for Oregon later in the year.
Double Olympic champion Caster Semenya won a 3,000m race in a personal best time of eight minutes and 54.97 seconds yesterday as she eyes qualifying for the 5,000m at the 2022 world championships. pic.twitter.com/ZY9RxZVDoU
— Geoffrey Mwamburi (@bekimwamburi) March 24, 2022
With the qualifying time for the 5000m set at 15:10., Semenya remains hopeful of hitting the time before the qualification window closes. In an interview with journalists in South Africa after the race, Semenya says she is working on achieving the feat. "I am there or thereabouts. If it happens, it happen," she said.
With the strong wind at Green Point Stadium affecting other disciplines, middle-distance runners delivered the standout performances at the ASA Athletics Grand Prix meeting.
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