FORMER world 800m champion Caster Semenya is going for gold at the Commonwealth Games in July next year.

Semenya will start her preparations for the Games in Scotland with an intensive training camp in Tshwane next month.

It will be the first time the 22-year-old, who is also competing in the 1500m, will be participating in the Commonwealth Games at senior level. In 2008, she won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Youth Games with a time of 2:04.23.

"There will be no festive season holidays for me, I will be training hard to ensure that I'm in the best of shapes next year," said Semenya yesterday. "My coach [Maria Mutola] is developing a programme that we will follow in December leading up to the Commonwealth Games.

"I'm so excited because it will be my first time I will be competing at the Commonwealth Games, which is why there will be no holiday for me.

"I want to make my Commonwealth Games debut a memorable one by bringing back gold and contribute to the success of the team."

Semenya, whose personal best is 1:55.45 in the 800m and 4:08.01 in the 1500, is over the moon that the knee injury is no longer troubling her after undergoing surgery.

The injury, which she sustained last year soon after the London Olympics, where she won a silver medal, contributed to her failure to qualify for the world championships in Moscow.

"I was disappointed not to have qualified but I'm happy it's all over. I have started with light training and everything is going according to plan," Semenya said.

"I will wait for the [2014] track and field calendar to be released to decide meets I will be competing in at home before going overseas.

"It's going to be a great season for me."