Semenya skips African Athletics Championships, to focus on CWG
July 12th, 2010 - 5:00 pm ICT by ANIJohannesburg, July 12 (ANI): World 800 meter champion Caster Semenya has decided to give a miss to the African Athletics Championships in Nairobi, as she says she is not yet ready to race at the international level. However, she is expected to take part in the October Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
According to Sport24, ‘Athletics South Africa’ has informed that Semenya was left out of the 42-member team for the continental championships named on Sunday following consultation between the national federation and Semenya’s coach Michael Seme.
Semenya was cleared to run by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) earlier this week after a probe into her gender prevented her from racing for 11 months.
“Semenya will work towards reaching peak condition in order to be a part of the action at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India in October, the African federation would assist her in obtaining race opportunities as part of her preparations for the international event,” Athletics South Africa said.
Her coach, Michael Seme said he wasn’t expecting her to clock spectacular times when she returns to the track because she hasn’t raced in 11 months but assured that he would train Semenya for the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
“She is going to run some small meetings in Europe, which will just be tests to remind her body what it’s like to race. But we are not expecting fast times yet, we will now start preparing her for the Commonwealth Games,” Seme said.
The 19-year-old, who has not raced since winning the world title in August 2009, is set to return to the track at the Lappeenranta Games in Finland on July 15, 2010. (ANI)
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Tags: african federation, caster, clock, commonwealth games, consultation, continental championships, hasn, iaaf, johannesburg, member team, meter champion, nairobi, national federation, new delhi india, peak condition, race opportunities, seme, south africa, spectacular times, sport24