Former world champion Caster Semenya has qualified for the 800 meters at the London Olympics. The South African ran 1 minute, 59.58 seconds in a provincial meet on her home track at the University of Pretoria Friday. It was her second time inside the standard time of 1:59.90, making her eligible for selection for her first Olympics. Semenya first ran inside the time when winning silver at last year's world championships in South Korea. “It's a weight off my shoulders and I'm very happy with my time,” Semenya told reporters. “I just ran my own race and it went okay, it's best that way and I enjoyed it, that's why I qualified.” Semenya failed to reach the qualifying standard in last weekend's national championships in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth, clocking 2:02.68 in windy conditions. On Friday she became the first woman in 21 years to run under two minutes on South African soil. “The start was good and we had trained hard and planned to qualify in South Africa. There's now no need for me to go to the African championships and I know my plans for the European season, I must just be patient,” Semenya said. Semenya, who is coached by Maria Mutola, said she would compete in Ostrava on May 25 and in Rome on June 1. She would then run some 400 meters races to work on her speed. The evening meeting brought just one more Olympic qualifying performance, with Olympic silver medalist Khotso Mokoena leaping 8.29m to win the long jump.
