How can two-time Olympic gold medalist Caster Semenya qualify for Tokyo?
The qualification deadline for Tokyo Olympics 2020 is inching ever closer. The International Olympic Committee has set June 29 as the last date to qualify for next month's summer games. The Tokyo games could see some famous names missing in action, but the one Olympic champion who is still hopeful of making a last-minute bid for the games is South African sprinter Caster Semenya. Semenya is a legend in 800m. She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, winning the event at London and Rio. She has dominated the World Championships three times, coming first in 800m at Berlin, Daegu, and London. But in 2018 she was banned by World Atheletics to compete in any race, ranging from 400m to a mile, due to her high testosterone levels. The rules set by World Athletics say that an athlete can control the increased testosterone level through medication and can compete again in the concerned events. But Semenya has refused to undergo any medical intervention. The sprinter had taken birthcontrol pills from around 2010 to 2015 and those pills affected her body adversely. Hence she stopped consuming the pills thereby defying the rule set by World Atheletics. In 2019, Semenya appealed against the ban in the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), but her appeal was dismissed. Earlier this year, she approached the European Court of Human Rights. Semenya is still waiting for a ruling. But her tussle with World Athletics did not dent her spirits to be at the Tokyo Games. Semenya simply looked beyond the races in which she could not compete and picked 5000m as her event in an attempt to represent South Africa at the Games. But switching to 5000m has not been easy for Semenya. She participated in two qualifying events in South Africa and failed in both. She clocked 15:32.15 in Durban and then in Pretoria she finished the race in 15:52.28. For an athlete to qualify for the 800m event at Tokyo, she has to finish the qualification race in 15:10.00. After failing in the Southern hemisphere, Semenya planned to head north! Now with only a day left before the qualification window is shut, Semenya's hopes hinge on a qualification event in Belgium. Interestingly, the World Athletics Continental Tour in Belgium kickstarts on 30 June, a day after the qualification window shuts. But it is understood that Athletics South Africa has secured a day's grace for Semenya. How Semenya has no other option but to improve her personal best of 15:32.14 by more than 22 seconds at the at Naimette-Xhovmont Sports Complex to qualify for Tokyo. Should she fail, she will join the likes of Mo Farah, Carolina Marin and Christian Taylor as the defending Olympic Champions missing in action at the Tokyo Games. Also read: 5 Olympic defending champions who will miss Tokyo Olympics 2020  Edited by Diptanil Roy