Athletics
SEMENYA RUNS AT DIAMOND LEAGUE THIS SUNDAY
BY MIKE ROWBOTTOM
Caster Semenya is set for a return to the International Association of Athletics Federations Diamond League circuit in Stanford, California today after a Swiss court reportedly extended the suspension of their ruling concerning athletes with differences in sexual development.
Earlier this month, the Swiss Federal Tribunal put on hold the IAAF’s ruling that obliges athletes with differences in sexual development (DSD) to take drugs to medically reduce their naturally-occurring testosterone if they want to compete at events ranging from 400 metres to a mile.
The “superprovisional order” was considered a major boost for South Africa’s world and Olympic 800m champion in her challenge against a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decision in the IAAF’s favour.
South Africa’s ewn.co.za website cites a claim by Semenya’s lawyers that, yesterday, the Swiss Federal Supreme Court extended its deadline for submissions relating to the IAAF’s DSD regulations until July 1.
The court’s deadline extension means the IAAF’s regulations remain suspended until the Swiss court receives submissions from CAS and arrives at a decision.
The IAAF’s rules, which came into force on May 8, mean DSD athletes with naturally high levels of testosterone who wish to participate in events between 400m and a mile must medically limit that level to under 5 nmol/L, double the normal female range of below 2 nmol/L.
They were described as “discriminatory” by the CAS when it ruled in favour of the IAAF and against Semenya but it also said the policy was “necessary, reasonable and proportionate” to protect the fairness of women’s sport.
Semenya has not raced in the Diamond League since winning the opening meeting of the season in Doha in a meeting record and 2019 world-leading time of 1min 54.98sec.
After the IAAF’s initial attempt to lift the superprovisional order was rebuffed earlier this month, Semenya was officially – but belatedly – invited to take part in the last IAAF Diamond League meeting that took place in Rabat, Morocco on June 16.
However, she had already flown back home from racing in Europe when the invite arrived and had insufficient time to change her plans.
The seventh of this year’s IAAF Diamond League meetings takes place, temporarily, at a new venue – Stanford’s Cobb Track and Angell Field in Palo Alto, California – and will showcase a new talent in the shape of 19-year-old home sprinter Sha-Carri Richardson.
The change of location is due to the fact that the traditional home of the Prefontaine Classic meeting – Hayward Field, in Oregon, is being substantially rebuilt ahead of hosting the IAAF World Championships in 2021.
Fresh from setting world 100m and 200m under-20 records of 10.75sec and 22.17sec at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships, Richardson will make her professional debut in Stanford against a women’s 100m field that includes the resurgent 2008 and 2012 Olympic champion at that event, 32-year-old Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who clocked 10.73 at the recent Jamaican Championships.
Home world champion Tori Bowie, national champion Aleia Hobbs and double world silver medallist Marie-Josée Ta Lou are also in the line-up.
The women’s 200m is also stacked with talent, including Jamaica’s Rio 2016 100m and 200m champion Elaine Thompson, who last week won the Jamaican 100m and 200m titles in 10.73 and 22.00.
She will face Britain’s European 100 and 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith, who convincingly beat her in Stockholm, two-times world champion Dafne Schippers and world 400m number one Salwa Eid Naser.
Another rising US sprint star, Michael Norman, has already run 43.45sec for the 400m this season, but he will not take lightly the challenge of compatriot Fred Kerley, the Diamond League champion, who in Shanghai last month and recently ran 44.49 in Kingston.
Meanwhile, the Beijing 2008 champion, LaShawn Merritt, will be contesting his first 400m race since the 2017 World Championships.
In the men’s 100m, home sprinter Christian Coleman, who ran 9.86sec in Shanghai and improved it with a 2019 world-leading 9.85 in Oslo, headlines the field.
The world indoor champion will take on world champion Justin Gatlin, Mike Rodgers, European champion Zharnel Hughes and Italian record-holder Filippo Tortu.
Ethiopia’s world and Olympic 10,000m champion Almaz Ayana will be making her first competitive appearance on the track since 2017 in a women’s 3,000m that also includes her compatriot, world 1,500m record-holder Genzebe Dibaba, and Kenya’s world 5,000m and cross-country champion Helen Obiri.
Others to keep an eye on will be European 5,000m champion Sifan Hassan, who ran 3:55.93 to finish runner-up to Dibaba over 1,500m at the last Diamond League meeting in Rabat, and Germany’s Konstanze Klosterhalfen.
The women’s 1,500m features world and Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon, returning from maternity leave, and Britain’s European champion Laura Muir.
Kenya’s world 1,500m silver medallist Tim Cheruyot will defend his Bowerman Mile title against a field that includes training partner and world champion Elijah Manangoi, and Ethiopia’s world indoor mile record-holder Yomif Kejelcha.
Lingering bursitis has prevented world number one Abderrahman Samba from competing in the 400m hurdles, meaning USA’s Rai Benjamin will start as the clear favourite.
Benjamin, the third-fastest man in history in this event, won in Rome earlier this month in a season’s best of 47.58.
He will face world number three and two-times Diamond trophy winner Kyron McMaster, who ran 49.12 in Oslo, world silver medallist Yasmani Copello and Olympic champion Kerron Clement.
In the women’s 3,000m steeplechase, Kenya’s world record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech will try to fend off the challenge from home world champion Emma Coburn and North American record-holder Courtney Frerichs.
– insidethegames
The London Marathon broke the record for the highest number of finishers in a marathon, with 59,830 participants completing the course to surpass the mark of 59,226 at last year’s New York City event.
Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe shattered the world record to become the first man to run the marathon in under two hours, followed by Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, who also breached the two-hour barrier on Sunday.
“To then break the record of the largest number of finishers in the history of marathons underlines the inspirational nature of the London Marathon. We are incredibly proud to have set a new Guinness World Record,” said Hugh Brasher, CEO of London Marathon Events.
In the women’s race, three women ran under two hours and 16 minutes in a single race for the first time ever, as Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa defended her title by shattering her own women ‘s-only world record
-Reuters
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Nigeria has aligned with the global athletics community in supporting World Athletics’ decision to reject 11 applications for nationality transfer to Türkiye, a move that includes sprinter Favour Ofili and signals a broader clampdown on the recruitment of foreign athletes.
Diamond League – Final – Zurich – Zurich, Switzerland – August 27, 2025 Jamaica’s Rajindra Campbell in action during the men’s shot put final REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
The ruling, announced on Thursday by World Athletics’ Nationality Review Panel, affects athletes from multiple countries and was based on findings that the applications were part of a coordinated, government-backed effort to bolster Türkiye’s international competitiveness ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Rather than a single case, Ofili’s situation forms part of a wider group that includes five Kenyan athletes — among them former marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei — and four Jamaicans, including Olympic medallists Roje Stona and Rajindra Campbell. Russian heptathlete Sophia Yakushina was also among those denied eligibility.
Paris 2024 Olympics – Athletics – Men’s Discus Throw Victory Ceremony – Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France – August 08, 2024. Gold medallist Roje Stona of Jamaica celebrates on the podium. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigie
London Marathon 2024 – Women’s Elite Press Conference – London, Britain – April 18, 2024 Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei poses for a photograph ahead of the London Marathon REUTERS/Peter Cziborra/File Photo
World Athletics stated that approving the applications would undermine key principles guiding the transfer of allegiance, particularly the need to maintain the integrity and credibility of national representation in global competitions.
“The panel found that the applications formed part of a coordinated recruitment strategy… to attract overseas athletes through lucrative contracts,” the governing body said.
For Nigeria, the decision is being viewed not as an isolated intervention but as part of a wider effort to protect countries that invest in developing athletes from grassroots to elite level, only to risk losing them to wealthier nations offering financial incentives.
Officials note that the rejection highlights growing concerns about the commercialisation of national allegiance in sport, where athletes are increasingly targeted through structured programmes designed to fast-track international success.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe has previously warned against such trends, stressing that nationality transfers must reflect genuine national ties rather than transactional arrangements.
The regulations governing athlete transfers were tightened in 2019 to prevent abuse and ensure fairness, following increasing cases of athletes switching allegiance under financially driven circumstances.
Although the applications were rejected, World Athletics clarified that the affected athletes — including Ofili — remain eligible to compete in one-day meetings, road races and club competitions, as well as live and train in Türkiye. However, they are barred from representing the country at major championships such as the Olympic Games and World Championships.
The decision is widely seen as a significant moment for global athletics, reinforcing the principle that national representation should be built on identity and development rather than financial inducement.
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A former president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Chief Solomon Ogba, has commended World Athletics for rejecting the application by Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili to switch allegiance to Türkiye.
World Athletics, through its Nationality Review Panel, on Thursday turned down Ofili’s request to represent the European nation, citing concerns over the integrity of international competitions and the growing trend of athlete recruitment driven by financial incentives.
Reacting to the decision, Ogba described the ruling as a victory for fairness and a strong message in defence of developing nations that invest heavily in nurturing athletic talent.
“This is justice not just for Nigeria but for many developing countries that work tirelessly to groom athletes, only for them to be lured away by wealthier nations,” Ogba said.
The panel, in its report, noted that granting the transfer would undermine key principles, including safeguarding the credibility of national representation and discouraging the systematic recruitment of foreign athletes for global competitions.
Ofili’s case was one of 11 applications submitted by the Turkish Athletics Federation, which World Athletics linked to a broader government-backed strategy to strengthen its team ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Despite having obtained Turkish citizenship and signing a lucrative club contract, Ofili remains ineligible to compete for Türkiye in major competitions such as the World Championships and the Olympic Games.
Ogba singled out World Athletics President Sebastian Coe for praise, describing him as a consistent ally of developing countries.
“How can a country nurture an athlete from grassroots level to elite status, only for another nation that showed no prior interest to come with financial inducements and take them away? It is unfair and must be discouraged,” he said.
The former AFN boss also advised athletes to remain focused and avoid making career decisions driven solely by short-term financial gains. He cited global stars such as Usain Bolt, Julien Alfred, and Eliud Kipchoge, who achieved success while representing their home countries.
Ogba further warned athletes against external pressures from managers and associates, urging them to consider the long-term implications of switching nationality.
“Many athletes who left Nigeria often return after retirement seeking support. The reality is that your home country offers opportunities beyond competition — as coaches, administrators, and mentors,” he added.
He concluded by urging Nigerian athletes to remain loyal and committed, stressing that while opportunities abroad may appear attractive, long-term security and identity remain tied to their country of origin.
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