Johannesburg (AFP)

The South African Caster Semenya, two-time Olympic 800m champion, failed Friday in Durban during her second 5,000m attempt to achieve the minimums for the Tokyo Olympics (23 July-8 August).

She won with a time of 15 min 32 sec 15 / 100th, in a race organized so that she could try to win her Olympic sesame.

It remains far from the Olympic minima set by the South African Federation at 15 min 10 sec.

On April 15 in Pretoria, she had signed a time of 15 min 52 sec 28 / 100th to afford the title of champion of South Africa.

Semenya is deprived of competition in the 800 m, his preferred distance, by a regulation of World Athletics (ex-IAAF).

The athlete, who has a natural excess of male hormones, refuses any treatment to lower his testosterone level below the maximum threshold (5 nmol / L of blood) defined by World Athletics to compete with women over distances ranging from 400 meters to a mile.

Semenya, 30, has been leading a standoff with the International Federation since then, but has already lost several appeals.

On February 19, she decided to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg, which did not say when it would rule.

The International Olympic Committee has set June 29 as the qualification deadline for athletes wishing to compete in Japan.

© 2021 AFP