– It was hot, could not keep up with the pace, I tried to keep up as much as I could. But you know, it’s part of the game, Semenya told World Athletics.
The top five in each heat, as well as the five fastest times in addition to this, made it to the finals.
Semenya has not participated in the World Cup since 2017.
The South African has previously won both Olympic and World Cup gold in the 800 meters and has fought to continue participating in the favorite distance. A few years ago, the International Athletics Federation World Athletics (WA) stopped her from competing in the distance because she is a hyperandrogy, has high levels of the male sex hormone testosterone.
WA forced her to medicate her, according to the union, too high testosterone levels but Semenya said she had felt bad about the medication and it all ended in a lawsuit over the star’s right to compete in the 800 meters.
After a long process, Semenya eventually lost all instances in the case. Therefore, she has chosen to invest in 5,000 meters that do not have the same requirements for testosterone levels.