Semenya set to win gold medal

29 May 2009 - 02:00
By Ramatsiyi Moholoaramatsiyi@sowetan.co.za

Rising middle distance runner Caster Semenya is off to neighbouring Botswana where she is tipped to win a gold medal tomorrow.

Rising middle distance runner Caster Semenya is off to neighbouring Botswana where she is tipped to win a gold medal tomorrow.

Ranked number one in the world in the 800m, Semenya will represent the country at the Southern Africa Track and Field Championships.

"It's a great honour to be ranked number one in the world. This will encourage me to run even faster," she said.

She has already qualified for the World Championships in Germany in August on a B-standard after clocking 2:00.58 at the Yellow Pages Series in Germiston in March.

Semenya, who is originally from Limpopo, hopes to progress to under the required two minutes to achieve the A-standard.

She will compete against top athletes from Lesotho, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

Other top women runners in the team include Tsholofelo Thipe, twins Lebo and Lebogang Phalula and Tazmin Brits.

Hezekiel Sepeng is going back to the international arena for the first time since completing a two-year ban for using a banned substance.