ATHLETICS NEWS - Tuks's Rikenette Steenkamp could be the unluckiest athlete not to represent South Africa at the World Championships (27 September to 6 October) in Doha.
Friday was the last day on which athletes could qualify. Steenkamp came oh so close to doing so in the 100m-hurdles racing in Andújar, Spain. She finished second in13.02s. It is a season's best for her. Indicating she is on the verge of breaking the 13-second barrier, which is generally considered to be the milestone when competing internationally.
The reality, however, is that the Tuks-athlete missed the IAAF B-qualifying standard by 0.04s. The A-qualification standard is 12.77s. Steenkamp's best time is 12.81s which she ran last year.
Only four female athletes have qualified for the championships in Doha. Dominque Scott (14:59.08 - 5000m), Carina Horn (11.01s - 100m) and Tebogo Mamathu (11.04s -100m) are the only ones to have complied with the A-qualification standards. Scott also set a B-qualification time running 31:43.18 in the 10 000m while Zeney van der Walt's season-best time of 55.73s in the 400m-hurdles is also a B-qualifier.
Caster Semenya is currently ruled out due to the ongoing legal challenge of regulations that prevent her from defending her 800 metres world title without taking hormone blockers.
