Johannesburg – An Olympic race of sorts ended on Tuesday, and this time Caster Semenya will not reach the finish line first.
Tuesday was the deadline for Semenya to gain a qualifying time in the women’s 5,000 meters for the Tokyo Games that begin July 23, writes the nytimes.com
She defiantly refused to suppress her naturally elevated testosterone levels, as required of female athletes with high testosterone levels to compete in women’s track events from the quarter mile to the mile.
So, as things stand, Semenya will not be able to run her specialty, the 800 meters, at which she won gold at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics and was essentially unbeatable for much of a decade.
Semenya has planned a final try at qualifying for the 5 000 meters, at a meet in Belgium on Wednesday, but the International Olympic Committee said it would not extend the deadline.
She remains 22 seconds short of the qualifying standard of 15 minutes 10 seconds.
Semenya is also not expected to get quick relief from an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights after she lost her case before sport’s highest court and the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland.
Even if the human rights court rules in her favour before the Tokyo Games, legal experts said, the ruling could not force officials to make her eligible for the 800 meters.
“It is disappointing that you’re being stopped at your best and there’s nothing you can do about it,” Semenya said in a recent video conference interview.
An Olympic race of sorts ends on Tuesday, and this time Caster Semenya will not reach the finish line first.
Tuesday was the deadline for Semenya to gain a qualifying time in the women’s 5,000 meters for the Tokyo Games that begin July 23. She defiantly refused to suppress her naturally elevated testosterone levels, as required of intersex athletes to compete in women’s track events from the quarter mile to the mile.
So, as things stand, Semenya will not be able to run her specialty, the 800 meters, at which she won gold at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics and was essentially unbeatable for much of a decade.
Semenya has planned a final try at qualifying for the 5 000 meters, at a meet in Belgium on Wednesday, but the International Olympic Committee said it would not extend the deadline. She remains 22 seconds short of the qualifying standard of 15 minutes 10 seconds.
Nor is Semenya expected to get quick relief from an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights after she lost her case before sport’s highest court and the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland.
Even if the human rights court rules in her favour before the Tokyo Games, legal experts said, the ruling could not force officials to make her eligible for the 800 meters.
“It is disappointing that you’re being stopped at your best and there’s nothing you can do about it,” Semenya said in a recent video conference interview.
– The New York Times
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