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Caster in Commonwealth Games team

Brad Morgan

26 August 2010

Caster Semenya is going to the Commonwealth Games. The women's world 800 metres champion, who was recently given the go-ahead to compete by the IAAF, and men's 800m world champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, were among a further 32 South Africans named to compete in New Delhi, India in October.

South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee president Gideon Sam announced the names of sportsmen and sportswomen in track and field, rugby Sevens, cycling, swimming, and para-powerlifting. The addition of the 32 brings the number of athletes in the South African team to 147 after an initial squad of 115 was announced last month.

"I'm very happy to see the return of Caster Semenya to duty for South Africa," Sam said at Olympic House in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

"We have observed her progress closely since the IAAF cleared her to run, and it's good to hear her say that she's focusing all her efforts on the Commonwealth.

'Good news for our medal effort'

"The fact that she's unbeaten in her three races thus far and has improved her time on each occasion is good news for our medal effort in New Delhi."

Semenya returned to action at the Lappeenranta Games on 16 July, winning the 800 metres in a modest time of two minutes, 4.22 seconds. It was the first time she had competed since winning the World Championships in Berlin in August 2009. She had been barred from running after the World Championships while gender tests were carried out on her.

She followed up her win at the Lappeenranta Games with a second victory in the Savo Games in Lapinlahti in two minutes, 2.41 seconds.

Semenya then returned to the same track on which she won World Championship gold when she took part in the ISTAF meeting in Berlin on 22 August. She won once again, and this time broke the two-minute barrier for the first time since her return, clocking one minute, 59.90 seconds.

That time is the sixth fastest achieved by a Commonwealth athlete so far this year, but there is ample time for improvement before the Commonwealth Games, which run from 3 to 14 October.

800 metres world champion included

Semenya was one of 11 athletes named on Wednesday. They included Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, who, like Semenya, won 800 metres gold at the World Championships in Berlin.

Olympic long jump silver medallist Khotso Mokoena was also in the mix, along with Commonwealth champions LJ van Zyl (400m hurdles), Sunette Viljoen (javelin), and Elizna Naude (discus).

There was an exciting addition to the cycling team with Bernard Esterhuizen, the recently crowned Junior Track world champion in the one-kilometre time trial, added to a strong-looking squad. JP van Zyl was a world class track performer for South Africa for many years and he believes Esterhuizen, despite his youth, is already world class.

Sevens rugby

A Sevens rugby team was also announced. With Sevens and golf being added to the list of Olympic sports for 2016 in Rio, Sevens has taken on added significance.

After winning the IRB Sevens World Series last year, South Africa suffered a slump in 2010 and finished in sixth place in the overall standings. The five teams that finished above South Africa will all be at the Commonwealth Games, so a big improvement, specifically in consistency, will be required from coach Paul Treu's charges, if they wish to medal.

Treu said he is expecting a tough challenge in Delhi. "We'll be taking quite a young, inexperienced side to New Delhi and it's going to be tough coming up against the likes of Australia and New Zealand, who will be drafting in some members of the 15-man code.

"But we're going to be working very hard from now until the Commonwealth Games because we obviously want to try and win a medal for the team," he said.

"It's still quite a unique experience for the guys when we are part of a multi-sport event but as usual we'll be buying into the team spirit and supporting all the other codes," he added.

"With this in mind the World Games in Taiwan was a great learning experience last year and with Sevens being part of the 2016 Olympics in Rio these multi-sport events can only be good for us as a team in the lead up until then."

Four swimmers were added to a strong-looking swimming squad. Graeme Moore, Sebastien Rousseau, Charl van Zyl, and Jean Basson, who placed fourth in the 200 metres freestyle at the Beijing Olympics joined Wendy Trott, Heerden Herman, Chad le Clos, Gideon Louw, Mark Randall, Roland Schoeman, Riaan Schoeman, Darian Townsend, Cameron van der Burgh, and Natalie Du Toit in a line-up of competitors with a lot of international experience.

Playing to strengths

Speaking at Olympic House, Sam said: "It's now becoming clearer that we have to move in the direction where our strengths lie. South Africa must learn to play to their strengths and I think that there's no doubting that swimming and athletics must be the core of our medal onslaught in New Delhi.

"The other federations will still play their part, like lawn bowls that has traditionally been strong for us at previous Commonwealth Games, but the main thrust must be athletics and swimming.

"I think South African sports fans are often obsessed with winning medals at each and every sport that we take part in, but that can't always be the case," he added.

"Having said that, if athletics and swimming don't fire on all eight cylinders then we are in trouble, so we must put all our energies firmly behind them."

Sports

A total of 17 sports will be contested at the Commonwealth Games: archery, aquatics, athletics, badminton, boxing, cycling, gymnastics, hockey, lawn bowls, netball, rugby Sevens, shooting, squash, table tennis, tennis, weightlifting and wrestling.

Apart from those sports, 15 events will be contested across four Para-Sports codes, for elite athletes with a disability, on the inclusive sports programme. They includes events in athletics, swimming, powerlifting and table tennis.

Additions to SA Commonwealth Games Team

Athletics: Elizna Naude, Justine Robbeson, Caster Semenya, Sunette Viljoen, Chris Harmse, Simon Magakwe, Khotso Mokoena, Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, Cheyne Rahme, Tumelo Thagane, LJ Van Zyl. Manager: Motlatsi Kekabele. Coaches: Brandan Du Plessis, Carl Preller. Para-athletes: Samkelo Radebe, David Roos

Cycling: Bernard Esterhuizen

Para-powerlifting: Johannes Matthysen, Evgeni Niklaevich

Rugby Sevens: Cecil Afrika, Ryno Benjamin, Bernardo Botha, Kyle Brown, Renfred Dazel, Branco du Preez, Christopher Dry, MJ Mentz, Chase Minnaar, Lubabalo Mtembu, Johannes Prinsloo, Sibusiso Sithole

Swimming: Jean Basson, Graeme Moore, Sebastien Rousseau, Charl van Zyl