It remains unclear when breakthrough star Glenrose Xaba will run another marathon, but Caster Semenya says it’s important to not rush her into anything.
By setting a South African 42km record of 2:22:22 on debut at the Cape Town Marathon last month, Xaba has already qualified for the women’s marathon race at next year’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
However, Semenya (who coaches their training group alongside her wife Violet Semenya) says Xaba might not compete over the 42km distance at the global championships.
Instead, Xaba is likely focus on shorter distance races next season, with a new half-marathon personal best (and potentially the national record) in her sights.
With the 29-year-old athlete having broken the SA 10km (31:12) and 42km records this year, Semenya has warned that they still have unfinished business in the half-marathon, a distance over which they feel Xaba can go quicker.
Another SA record?
Xaba would need to take nearly two minutes off her personal best time over 21km (1:08:37) to break the SA record of 1:06:44 set by Elana Meyer in 1999.
Based on her performances over 10km and 42km, however, it seems the long-standing 21km mark could be within her reach.
“The reality is that we still want to improve more in the half-marathon,” Semenya said at the Spar Grand Prix awards in Kempton Park this week, where Xaba was crowned series champion, regaining the title she won in 2018.
“As an athlete she needs to decide and we will guide her through that. At the end of the day it’s not really up to us as coaches to decide for athletes,” Semenya added.
“We will sit down as a collective and decide if we want to run a marathon next year… and if she’s ready for it we will support her, but our goals are more in line with making sure we improve in the half-marathon.
“I think that’s one outstanding distance where we need to try to get a better time.”
* Featured image of Glenrose Xaba by Reg Caldecott/Spar Grand Prix
