Semenya makes final bid for world championships berth

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - Former world 800 metre champion Caster Semenya will make one final bid to qualify for next month's world championships when she races in Belgium on Sunday.

South Africa's Caster Semenya runs in her women's 800m semi-final during the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium

The South African will compete just 24 hours before the deadline set for her to break the two-minute barrier required for participation at the August 10-18 competition in Moscow.

Having spent almost a year away from the track with injury since winning silver at the 2012 London Olympics, Semenya has already had two unsuccessful attempts to reach her target when she clocked 2:06.58 and 2:04.48 in Finland last week.

The 22-year-old rose to global recognition after winning the 2009 world championships in Berlin in a personal best time of 1:55.45 but then spent 12 months on the sidelines after being forced to undergo gender tests.

Semenya also took the silver medal in Daegu, South Korea when she defended her world title two years ago.

(Reporting By Nick Said; Editing by John O'Brien)