Semenya ‘can lose 5 sec’

Facing natural hormone restrictions if she intends to continue competing in middle-distance events, world 800m champion Caster Semenya could struggle to break the two-minute barrier in the near future, according to sports scientist Ross Tucker.

Responding to reports that the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) was expected to apply its revised hyperandrogenism rule today, Tucker predicted Semenya’s fastest times could be well outside her 1:55.16 national record in her specialist two-lap event, if she was forced to reduce her body’s androgen production.

“If this policy passes, I would predict that Semenya will be five to seven seconds slower over 800, based on what we saw from 2013 to 2015, when the [Dutee] Chand case set the previous policy (10nmol/L in all events) aside,” Tucker said on social media.

There had been a tremendous amount of criticism levelled at the IAAF around the imminent rule, which would be applied only to middle-distance runners, with the athletics body’s decision seemingly directed specifically at Semenya.

Tucker, who had long voiced his support of restricting the testosterone levels of hyperandrogenic women, nonetheless felt there was not enough evidence to suggest athletes received as much as a 9% performance advantage.

He believed the IAAF’s decision was likely to be challenged in court.