Caster Semenya won the 400 meters at the African championships yesterday and said she still plans to compete in middle-distance races at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics despite new IAAF rules starting in November that could prevent her running in her favored events.
The world and Olympic 800-meter champion displayed her ability across a wide range to set a South African record of 49.96 seconds and win gold in Asaba, Nigeria.
She finished well clear of Botswana's Christine Botlogetwe, who was second in 51.19. Nigeria's Yinka Ajayi was third in 51.34.
This year's African championships was the first time Semenya had run the 400 at a major international meet.
"I've run 400 meters previously, I just haven't really done it at competitive level," Semenya said. "But for me it's not about who I'm running against, it's just about me doing what I can do best."
"I've mentioned before that my goal is to run until I'm 40, so hopefully there's still three Olympics to come, but we're going to continue to focus on the 400m, 800m and 1 500m."