World 800m champion Caster Semenya will toe the line as the favourite to win against a weak field at a low-key meeting in Finland tomorrow, her first race since winning the global title in Berlin last August.
The 19-year-old was given the green light by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to run against women last week, ending an 11-month probe into her gender that kept her off the track. It has been widely speculated that Semenya underwent medical treatment during the last year, and there are questions over whether or not she will be able to reach the heights she climbed in the past.
Semenya has been training hard but her coach, Michael Seme, has admitted she is ‘unfit’ because she has done little speedwork and will need time to sharpen up, which was confirmed by her results in two 600m time trials last week. Seme, however, remains confident she will be able to produce fast times again, once she has a few races under her belt. – Nampa-Sapa
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