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Athletes may take Caster stand
Supersport.com
26/08/2010
While Caster Semenya's return to athletics has been fairly smooth up to this point, there could be some rocky road ahead as her fellow athletes prepare to have their say.
Semenya aims to bag her fourth successive win since making her comeback after a probe into her gender kept her off the track for 11 months.
However, Jemma Simpson of Great Britain, who lines up in the final Diamond League meeting of the season in Brussels, Belgium, on Friday night, and Canadian Diane Cummins, who doesn't, have continued to question the teenager's eligibilty to run against women, with rumours abounding that an athlete protest is imminent.
The IAAF have refused to comment on what medical procedures were followed before she was cleared, and her competitors are showing increasing frustration as the 19-year-old from Limpopo continues to obliterate the best female 800m runners in the world with consummate ease.
The only other South African in action in Brussels is 1 500m specialist Johan Cronje who faces a tremendous challenge against a 19-man field which includes the likes of Olympic champion Asbel Kiprop from Kenya and his versatile compatriot, Augustine Choge.
MULAUDZI PRAISE FOR RUDISHA
World 800m champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, meanwhile, believes Kenyan David Rudisha can further improve his world record when he lines up in the absence of the injured South African in Brussels.
Rudisha broke Wilson Kipketer's 13-year-old mark in Berlin on Sunday, clocking 1:41.09 to better the standard by 0.02 seconds, and has stated his intent on going even faster in Brussels.
"Rudisha is getting stronger all the time," Mulaudzi said on Thursday.
"His time on Sunday was incredible, and if he says he's going for it, then I think he's got a chance."
Mulaudzi started jogging again on Monday as he recovers from a hamstring injury that kept him out of the African Championships final last month.
The 29-year-old is second in the Diamond League season standings, and in his absence Rudisha should easily win the race for the grand prize. The Kenyan sensation needs to finish only third to top the standings.
Athletes may take Caster stand
Supersport.com
26/08/2010
While Caster Semenya's return to athletics has been fairly smooth up to this point, there could be some rocky road ahead as her fellow athletes prepare to have their say.
Semenya aims to bag her fourth successive win since making her comeback after a probe into her gender kept her off the track for 11 months.
However, Jemma Simpson of Great Britain, who lines up in the final Diamond League meeting of the season in Brussels, Belgium, on Friday night, and Canadian Diane Cummins, who doesn't, have continued to question the teenager's eligibilty to run against women, with rumours abounding that an athlete protest is imminent.
The IAAF have refused to comment on what medical procedures were followed before she was cleared, and her competitors are showing increasing frustration as the 19-year-old from Limpopo continues to obliterate the best female 800m runners in the world with consummate ease.
The only other South African in action in Brussels is 1 500m specialist Johan Cronje who faces a tremendous challenge against a 19-man field which includes the likes of Olympic champion Asbel Kiprop from Kenya and his versatile compatriot, Augustine Choge.
MULAUDZI PRAISE FOR RUDISHA
World 800m champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, meanwhile, believes Kenyan David Rudisha can further improve his world record when he lines up in the absence of the injured South African in Brussels.
Rudisha broke Wilson Kipketer's 13-year-old mark in Berlin on Sunday, clocking 1:41.09 to better the standard by 0.02 seconds, and has stated his intent on going even faster in Brussels.
"Rudisha is getting stronger all the time," Mulaudzi said on Thursday.
"His time on Sunday was incredible, and if he says he's going for it, then I think he's got a chance."
Mulaudzi started jogging again on Monday as he recovers from a hamstring injury that kept him out of the African Championships final last month.
The 29-year-old is second in the Diamond League season standings, and in his absence Rudisha should easily win the race for the grand prize. The Kenyan sensation needs to finish only third to top the standings.
