Caster will have to run like the wind to qualify for Champs

CASTER Semenya will eye a world championship qualifying time when she competes in the 800m at the SA Open championship tomorrow.

The meet in Potchefstroom will see some 100 athletes from other Southern African nations going up against some of SA’s top runners, including 400m hurdler Wenda Nel and distance star Elroy Gelant.

Semenya has been off the boil since winning the Olympic silver at the 2012 Games in London, failing to qualify for the 2013 world championships and the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Late last year she decided to move to Potchefstroom to train under middle-distance guru Jean Verster, and he believes she has sufficient form to beat the stipulated 2min 01.00sec mark to book her spot to the 2015 edition of the world champs in Beijing in August.

“We’re expecting quite a good race from her,” said Verster.

“She’s close to 2min shape, maybe even under two minutes. We hope she can qualify. But because this is a championship, we don’t have pacemakers. “It’s not so easy on your own.” Semenya, with a best of 1:55.45, hasn’t been below 2min since late in the 2013; last year her fastest effort was 2:02.66 in Rome.

But Verster believes she proved her form by her performances in Stellenbosch last month, where she raced 11 times at three meets over nine days, including heats.

At the SA championships – which unlike the Open is restricted only to South Africans – she won the 800m crown and took part in the 1500m for endurance training purposes.

Then she won the 3000m and ran in a relay at the Varsity Cup, and at the university championships she won the 800m and 1500m, and produced a solid 54sec leg in the 4x400m relay.

Asked what he was expecting from Semenya this year, he replied: “We’re not looking at putting pressure on her for SA records, or times or winning the world championships. We want her to stay healthy, stay injury-free and enjoy what we do.

“That’s the key components and the rest will follow.

“She is enjoying her running,” added Verster, who also coaches men’s 800m runners Nijel Amos, Botswana’s reigning Commonwealth Games champion, and André Olivier, the bronze medallist behind him in Glasgow last year.

Amos, who is

recovering

from

a

quad injury, will compete in the 400m, while Olivier, recovering from ‘flu, will miss the meet.

“The 400m is a test to see where he’s at, to see what his speed is like,” said Verster.

“It could depend on the weather, but if he goes in the region of at least a sub-46 then I’m happy he’s ready to go overseas [to compete] at the end of the month.”

Gelant, who holds the SA 3000m record, will run the 1 500m and Nel is looking to take part in both the one-lap hurdles and flat 400m.