Semenya switching to the 200

1.46.18 for 800m, 47.80 for 400m and my 200m PR was (out of blocks) 23.16.

Sure I rolled into 200s and ran under 23 in training (but not by much) but if Caster Semenya gets even close to 23.0 from a block start I would be hugely impressed. If that's enough to make a team then great - she won't be going further than the first round.

She'd have a better chance in the 5000m.

3hr-marathoner wrote:

She'd have a better chance in the 5000m.

That is debatable. I think the mile is probably stretching her abilities. Completely wrong body type to be a distance runner. No chance in distance events. She has a better chance in the 200m.

Rocks wrote:

Well she just ran 23.49... Huge pb..

Question is on how much training. If little then still lots of potential...

Based on her 400m PB, there is no doubt if Caster focuses on sprinting, in short order she will go sub-23. Just like 23.49 was a big PR, she will likely PR again and again. However, at her age it is going to be impossible to get the years of 400-800 muscle memory off of her legs. I think if Caster had focused on sprinting in the beginning she would probably be among the top women in the world. At this point I can see her achieving a degree of success, but the training time required to get below the mid-22s has come and gone.

Can't see her being in the medal hunt but she WILL make her national team and that's all this is about. The more attention the better.

Better question is there a US woman who can run sub 22? Our 200m women's was terrible last year. Best hope is a 17 year old who just turned pro. Still odds aren't good at the US medaling in this event.

truth be told once wrote:

Club level 800m male runner, which is what Semenya really is, has no chance at a sub 22 200.

Caster Semenya is a woman. Thanks.

TrackCoach wrote:

Rocks wrote:

Well she just ran 23.49... Huge pb..

Question is on how much training. If little then still lots of potential...

Based on her 400m PB, there is no doubt if Caster focuses on sprinting, in short order she will go sub-23. Just like 23.49 was a big PR, she will likely PR again and again. However, at her age it is going to be impossible to get the years of 400-800 muscle memory off of her legs. I think if Caster had focused on sprinting in the beginning she would probably be among the top women in the world. At this point I can see her achieving a degree of success, but the training time required to get below the mid-22s has come and gone.

I believe it's the type of muscles she has and not training. Would Ovett have been an elite sprinter if he had focused on sprint training?

nobody here is saying she'll be a medal threat. hitting the OQ of 22.8 would be fantastic. if she makes the olympic team, she's won. nothing else matters

With Semenya's personality, it wouldn't surprise if Semenya went to the dark side and ped-ed up.

Just checked and Amos has run 21.44 for 200m He’s also run 44.99 for 400m.

Semenya isn’t even close to this guy’s ability!

TrackCoach wrote:

Rocks wrote:

Well she just ran 23.49... Huge pb..

Question is on how much training. If little then still lots of potential...

Based on her 400m PB, there is no doubt if Caster focuses on sprinting, in short order she will go sub-23. Just like 23.49 was a big PR, she will likely PR again and again. However, at her age it is going to be impossible to get the years of 400-800 muscle memory off of her legs. I think if Caster had focused on sprinting in the beginning she would probably be among the top women in the world. At this point I can see her achieving a degree of success, but the training time required to get below the mid-22s has come and gone.

Why have none of you mentioned the 400 Hurdles. Caster is 5'10", ALL women hurdles are so low. Caster could easily run sub 54 over those/women's pimples..........err, I mean hurdles.

truth be told once wrote:

Can you train a decent male 49 400m 1.53 800m club level runner to run sub 22 in the 200m?

Not happening!

That would be a tall order for world class male 800m to train to run a sub 22 200m.

Club level 800m male runner, which is what Semenya really is, has no chance at a sub 22 200.

Interesting post. But how quickly can you train a 49/1:53/4:00 runner to get a 14:35 5k? No woman has ever won an Olympic or world championship medal in the 5k with a PR slower than 14:35 in the modern era (past 15 years).

Semenya says she's supernatural. Can't say she's wrong on that one! What a joke.

casual obsever wrote:

Like Gay?

You crack me up. No chance she is clean. Learn thy history.

+1 Who's her coach? An old expert in doping.

beeeeeeeen there wrote:

Semenya says she's supernatural. Can't say she's wrong on that one! What a joke.

Trump says he's, like, a stable genius.

The issue is not whether Semenya succeeds as a sprinter - unlikely - but what will happen when a genuinely talented sprinter with her condition chooses to compete against women.

Armstronglivs wrote:

The issue is not whether Semenya succeeds as a sprinter - unlikely - but what will happen when a genuinely talented sprinter with her condition chooses to compete against women.

That person would be required to do testosterone suppression to compete in the sprints. We would then be speculating as to whether she could be competitive at 800.

John Wesley Harding wrote:

Semenya’s official 200 PB is 24.26 from February ‘19; however, her 400 PB of 49.62 makes me think she could threaten 23.00 with a shift in focus. The best 200m time by a South African woman last year was 23.61 (Semenya was 9th), and the Olympic standard is 22.80.

Both the standards at 200 (22.80) and 5,000 (15:10) seem like a bit of a stretch for Semenya but Dominique Scott ran 14:59 in 2019, so it seems that Semenya is putting her chips on no S.A. women making the standard at 200 while proving herself the best of the bunch for selection.

Imagine being the “second” fastest S.A. woman with a 23.35 and being passed over for an Olympic spot for Semenya at 23.20–that’d suck.

She/her?