Semenya has had little success in the other distances she has competed in and missed qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics last year because she refused to take any medication to lower her testosterone levels.
Digital Desk: South Africa’s Olympic champion, Caster Semenya, has been placed on the entry list for the 5,000m event at next week’s World Championships in Oregon. Semenya missed the qualifying time of 15:10.00 despite setting a personal best of 15:31.50 earlier this year.
She wasn't on South Africa's team for the championships either, but she will be allowed to compete because other higher-ranked runners pulled out. A representative for Athletics South Africa told Reuters in an email on Saturday that "there were many withdrawals from other athletes across the world that opened the chance and World Athletics made it possible that she be entered."
Semenya, a two-time Olympian in the 800 metres, started running the 5,000 metres after being barred from competing in any event from the 400 metres to the mile. In order to maintain fair competition, World Athletics' governing board ruled in 2018 that women with high natural testosterone levels must take medication to lower them in order to compete in middle-distance races.
Semenya has had little success in the other distances she has competed in and missed qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics last year because she refused to take any medication to lower her testosterone levels.
It will be the 31-year-old's first participation in a global championship or Olympic Games since 2017, when she won her third 800m world title in London. If she runs in next week's championships, it will be her first appearance at either event since then.
It may be mentioned that the World Championships will be held in Eugene, Oregon from July 15.
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