Athletics Africa Magazine

South Africa's growing list of world-class sprinters will lead the charge in Potchefstroom this weekend, as a number of elite stars target double titles at the ASA Senior Championships on Friday 21 and Saturday 22 April 2017. In-form Olympic finalist Akani Simbine will turn out as the favourite for the Men's 100m and 200m crowns, after he was confirmed in the Athletics Gauteng North (AGN) entry lists released on Tuesday. Photo credit: Roger Sedres/ImageSA Simbine, who has clocked impressive times of 9.92 and 19.95 in the short sprints this season, will line up against 400m world record holder Wayde van Niekerk (Athletics Free State), World Championships 200m bronze medallist Anaso Jobodwana (KwaZulu-Natal Athletics) and national Junior 100m record holder Tlotliso Gift Leotlela (AGN) in both events. Two other AGN speedsters, former national 100m record holder Henricho Bruintjies and the latest SA athlete to dip under 10 seconds, Thando Roto , will focus on the...

Usain Bolt might be the headline act in Ostrava, but the biggest clash of the day could be in the women's 800m with former World Champion, Caster Semenya of South Africa vs reigning Olympic Champion Pamela Jelimo of Kenya. Sad David Rudisha withdrew. In New York, South African Oscar Pistorius, fresh from winning the 200m at Paralympic World Cup in Manchester with 22.08 on Tuesday and Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba, the reigning Olympic 5000m and 10,000m champion will surely thrill the crowd. Results and More....... OSTRAVA (CZE): Both 800m stars Pamela Jelimo with Caster Semenya will compete on Friday on May 25 at 51st Ostrava Golden Spike (IAAF World Challenge). The latest addition to the start list is Ethiopian 800 m revelation Fantu Magiso with Doha improvement to 1:57.90. Organisers were forced to accept an important withdrawal from 800m world record holder David Rudisha. "David Rudisha withdrew from Ostrava meeting due to unforeseen circumstances in K...

Double Olympic Champion Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia has been added to the women’s 10,000m at the 38th Prefontaine Classic on June 1, named in honour of the late Geoff Hollister. The entry list shows it will be like Ethiopian women trials for Olympics, with her team-mates Sule Utura, Wude Ayalew, Belaynesh Oljira, Tigist Kiros, Aheza Kiros, Worknesh Kidane and Aberu Kebede also in the race. Already PreClassic will host the Kenya’s Olympic trials selection race in the men’s 10,000 metres. Kenyans in the competition will be Pauline Korikwiang, Lineth Chepkurui, Lucy Kabuu, Pauline Njeri and Margaret Wangari. JOHANNESBURG (RSA): Legendary 800m world champion Maria Mutola has predicted her new protege Caster Semenya can smash the women‘s 800m world record. Mutola said Semenya would have smashed the women‘s 800m world record had it not been for the gender controversy which erupted after her world title win at Berlin in 2009. "She ran 1min 55.45 when she was 18" Mutola, wh...

SOUTH AFRICA : Caster Semenya's manager says the global 800m champion will only defend her title in Daegu, South Korea next week if she can handle the emotional difficulties with which she is faced. “It's whether she handles the emotion that will determine how she does,” Jukka Harkonen was quoted. USA: US top sprinter Walter Dix is ready to challenge Usain Bolt and other Jamaican sprinters. “I’m enjoying myself in Korea,” he said. “My goal is to win in the 100, 200, and 4x100-meter relay to come out with triple golds, a triple crown and that’s what I’m focusing on,” Korean media are saying. ETHIOPIA: “I’m ready for the challenge and looking forward to it,” Kenenisa Bekele said while travelling to Daegu from Seoul. Dressed in a designer brown jacket and jeans, the usually reclusive Kenenisa would not be drawn to speculate on his chances, only waiting for the men 10000m final where he is seeking a fifth straight crown. Informs capitalfm.co.ke. JAMAICA: Defending champi...

Nigerian   Peter Emelieze - Photo by Tatif c2009 METZ (FRA, Feb 25): Kenyan Bethwel Birgen scored a solid 3:39.21 at 1500m to win during the International Indoor meeting in France yesterday. Second placed Shadrack Korir , 32, also clocked sub 3:40 after two years indoors with 3:39.79. In third position was Yohan Durand (scheduled to run 3000 m at European Championships) 3:42.08 (overall PB) ahead of Russian champion Vyacheslav Sokolov 3:42.94. Nigerian Peter Emelieze won the men´s 60m sprint clocking 6.63 ahead of Ronald Pognon of France (6.69). Also a new Algerian indoor record for Othman Hadj Lazib at 60m hurdles in 7.72. PRETORIA (RSA, Feb 25):   The unexpected highlight at the second Yellow Pages Series meeting in Pretorial yesterday was a new South African 400m hurdles record by LJ van Zyl in 47.66. It was raining heavily before the hurdles (thunderstorm), during race still light rain with wind gusts, wet track and 15 degrees. With the conditions ...

LIGNANO (ITA, Jul 18): At 21st edition of international meet in this sea resort, the highlights in the men's 400m was not the win of American Jamaal Torrance (45.85) but in the third place South African 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius clocked a second career best time of 46.02 ( His life-time best was 46.02 seconds obtained on July 8 in Celle Ligure, Italy. He is based through summer in Italy (since May in Grosseto) and his next race is planned for August 8 in Nottwil, Switzerland at EA Classic Meeting. Rising U.S. star David Torrence ran an 800 meter personal best as second in 1:45.97 behind Mor Seck of Senegal (1:45.81). Jamaican talent Carrie Russell won the 100 m in close duel with US Mershevet Myers (both 11.22). NCAA Champion Blessing Okagbare of Nigeria improved her career best in the 200m with 22.71 (-0.1). She also placed 2nd in long jump (6.53m) beaten by American Funmi Jimoh (6.58m). Tiffany Ofili of USA won the 100 m hurdles in 12.85 (+0.7) beating Jamaican...

A lot has been said and written about Caster Semenya's gender issues since the South African teenager won the women's 800m title at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin last summer, but one thing missing in all these media reports is the most obvious of all. Caster was never a cheat, but she had now become a pawn in the dirty game of politics and racial determination in the post-apartheid South Africa. The IAAF also said in a statement that "no further comment will be made on the subject until further notice" as their panel of experts are still studying the results of the sex verification tests Semenya underwent in South Africa and Germany and there are ongoing consultations between the parties concerned. Meanwhile, South Africa's Department of Sport and Recreation has confirmed that Caster Semenya will not be stripped of her title despite the fact she is awaiting the verdict on whether or not she can continue to race as a woman.

According to the South African Daily News , The chairman of Parliament's sports portfolio committee, Butana Komphela, has vowed to ensure that Dr Harold Adams, the doctor for the South African team at the world athletics championships in Berlin, is removed as one of President Jacob Zuma's doctors. Komphela made the threat after Athletics South Africa (ASA) appeared before the portfolio committee to explain its handling of the Caster Semenya sex-testing controversy. Adams arranged the initial gender tests on Semenya and later cautioned the athletics body against letting Semenya race after obtaining results of the tests which allegedly showed that the 800m athlete had three times more testosterone than a normal female. Read More

The ANC Caster Semenya Support Task Team, in a press statement released today, has requested an urgent meeting with the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) to express our outrage in the manner in which IAAF has handled the Caster Semenya matter and furthermore, to find an amicable solution to this matter and thus its closure. During the meeting the ANC will advise the IAAF to publicly and unconditionally apologise to Caster Semenya and her family, to the South African President, the honourable Jacob Zuma and the entire nation for the violation of Caster's rights, the humiliation, injustice and pain she continues to suffer. The mishandling of her gender verification processes and its aftermath, also affected the country and indeed, the entire leadership of the country, negatively. The Task Team will also advise the IAAF to declare the gender verification tests results conducted both in South Africa and Berlin null and void. These tests were not conducted in keep...

The Athletics South Africa (ASA) says it's first priority is to ensure that Caster Semenya’s professional career is protected and they are now focusing their efforts and attention on dealing with the questions around her legitimately continuing to participate in athletics. According to a release by MS&L Worldwide on behalf of Athletics SA, "the ASA cannot afford to be drawn into a media campaign to discredit the leadership and administration of the ASA at this time. "In order to focus its attention in the best interests of all its athletes, the ASA is open to the appointment a commission of enquiry into the way in which it conducted its affairs around the Caster Semenya issue. The ASA will request input into the terms of reference of this proposed enquiry. This will allow the ASA to focus its attention where it can make a difference to Caster’s future. As the administrator of athletics in South Africa, the ASA has and continues to operate in the best interests of Sout...

South Africa's athletics coach Wilfred Daniels has quit his job over the shoddy and disgraceful handling of the sex verification saga of World 800m champion Caster Semenya before her gold medal win in Berlin. Daniels, who announced his resignation at the weekend, said the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) had noticed the teenager's phenomenal performance at the junior championships in Mauritius. He told private radio station Talk Radio 702 : "Before Caster left for Berlin, she was then asked to go to a clinic here in Pretoria to undergo some of these tests but the tests were not explained to her properly. "The normal urine or blood test - that is what she was told. According to the source that I spoke to, it was actually some sort of gender verification test that was done on her. "Caster was put in this unenviable position where she had to endure what she had to endure because we didn't brief her properly, we didn't explain to her...

South Africa's world champion Caster Semenya produced the fifth fastest 800 metres time in history to win in grand sytle this evening - in a new world leading time of 1:55.45. But that's not the only story. The 18-year old middle distance sensation is at the centre of an inquiry over concerns raised about whether she is male or female. Most of these so-called concerns stem from Australia and Europeans. One BBC commentator in Berlin even had the audacity to claim on air that "the background of African athletes are always questionable", and then went on to ask the opinion of bronze medallist Jenny Meadows. Shame on him for saying that, but I know that we Africans would no longer sit back and take such ignorant smear any longer. Worse was said last year when Kenyan Pamela Jelimo came onto the scene. I heard many fellow journalists from Europe wondered why she looked so masculine. Back to the furore over this young lady. False reports from Australia, The Sydney Morning He...