Van Niekerk qualifies for the Olympics, Semenya still far from Tokyo

Olympic champion in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and holder of the new world record set during this final in Brazil (43”03), Wayde van Niekerk will be in Tokyo to defend his title. The South African, disturbed by several injuries in recent years, achieved the minimums in Madrid on Saturday June 19, finishing second with a time of 44.56. It was his first high-level lap of the year. Her compatriot Caster Semenya missed her qualification over 5,000m in Regensburg, Germany. Deprived of her favorite distance, the 800m, because she refuses to take the hormones that would lower her testosterone levels, the double Olympic champion and triple world champion is struggling to convert over 5,000m. She ran in 15’57”12, far from the minimum of 15’10. While the International Olympic Committee has set June 29 as the deadline to achieve the minimums, Caster Semenya would have a derogation to try one last time to achieve it on June 30 in Liège, according to The team.