Sunday, February 27, 2011

Caster Semenya sets sights on 2012 Olympic 1500m title

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) – World 800-metre champion Caster Semenya of South Africa has her sights set on 1500m glory as well at the 2010 London Olympics

"I'm looking forward to my first Olympics and the plan is to include the 1500m race," the 20-year-old told the Sowetan newspaper after winning her first race in South Africa since striking gold during the 2009 world championships.

Semenya, who underwent gender verification tests following her Berlin triumph and did not race for almost a year, plans to defend the world title in South Korea during August of 2011.

Semenya clocked 2:04.12 to win a weekend 800m race in north-west university town of Potchefstroom during the first leg of the national athletics series race.

Semenya, whose personal best is 1:55.45, tells us she hopes to lower her time to two minutes in the next round of a series that will be used as preparations for the upcoming trip to Asia.

A back injury that prevented her competing at the Commonwealth games in India last October is on the mend.

"I feel much better and that is why I ran and won the race. I am under observation by a physiotherapist, though."