Olympics postponement a blessing in disguise for Caster Semenya- sprinter

South Africa sprinter Anaso Jobodwana has said that the postponement of the Olympics to next year may be a blessing in disguise for two-time Olympic 800m gold medallist Caster Semenya as she will get more time to fight her case.

Semenya's legal challenge against World Athletics' testosterone regulations remains ongoing as she is appealing to the Swiss Federal Tribunal against a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling that supported regulations introduced by the sport’s governing body.

The 29-year-old  is unable to defend the 800m title she won for a second time at the 2016 Rio Olympics because she is refusing to comply with new World Athletics regulations that require her to take testosterone-limiting medication.

Instead, she has now decided to turn her attention to a distance that does not fall under the regulations.

She is shifting her focus to the shorter 200m sprint event in a last-ditch attempt to qualify for the Tokyo Games.

Quoted in sport24.co.za, her compatriot Jobodwana said that subsequent postponement of the Tokyo Olympics due to the coronavirus outbreak has come as a blessing in disguise for her.

"This period gives Caster more time to fight her case," Jobodwana said.

"That's been spoken about too many times and we all know that it sucks. I saw her do the 200m and her first race was not too bad. I think she can still qualify, if she does the 200m only.

"She's still fighting and she's got a good team behind her. It would be very, very weird not to have Caster at the Olympics, honestly. The world would notice, too."

The sprinter also said Semenya was a  influence on Team South Africa as a whole at international events, something they would miss should she fail to get the CAS ruling overturned.

"At my first Olympics (London 2012) she was there and I was so star-struck. 'Gees, this is Caster,' you know that kind of feeling?" he said.

"Ever since then, it's been so nice to have her on the team because she brings so much calmness to others.

"We'd be having lunch or dinner at the hotel and you'd see how calm and relaxed she is and you ask yourself why you're panicking and why you're stressed. It's going to be very sad if we don't see her there."