South Africa’s Caster Semenya has opted to make the 800m her sole target at this month’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Semenya achieved Olympic qualifying times in winning the 400m, 800m and 1500m at her national trials, prompting suggestions she would attempt a 400m and 800m double in Brazil.
The 25-year-old won the 400m, 800m and 1500m on the same day at the South African trials but she has seemingly resisted the urge to take on multiple medal targets at the Games.
She is unbeaten over 800m this season and posted a world leading time of one minute 53.33 seconds at July’s Diamond League meeting in Monaco.
She has recorded three of the four fastest times in the world this year and her world-leading time lowered her personal best by more than a second.
Semenya is 1.05 to win the gold medal in Women’s 800m in Rio while Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi is 9.00.
Having been the subject of gender testing after winning world 800m gold in 2009, Semenya was sidelined for 11 months while she had tests before being cleared to compete by the International Association of Athletics Federations in 2010.
She landed silver at the 2011 World Championships and 2012 Olympics in London but she failed to qualify for last August’s world final, finishing last in her semi-final.
Semenya labelled the gender testing both upsetting and humiliating but she insists that her sole focus now is on the future and is keen to put the episode firmly behind her.
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