WINDHOEK, Nov. 22 — Namibia’s Olympic silver medalist Christine Mboma is set to make a return to the track and compete in the women’s 100m and 200m races following the World Athletics (WA) approval, coach Henk Botha told Xinhua on Tuesday.
Mboma is set to return next year in April after a temporary suspension by the WA Council due to regulations regarding testosterone levels in female athletes.
The suspension, which occurred in March 2023, saw the WA Council tighten restrictions and requirements on athletes with Differences in Sex Development, cutting the maximum amount of plasma testosterone for athletes in half to 2.5 nanomoles per litre of blood from five.
Botha told Xinhua that Mboma now has the recommended level of testosterone as set by the WA ruling.
“She can only do the 100m and 200m for now, but within the next two years, she will be able to do the 400m as well. And then all events will be open for her,” he said.
Botha said that according to the ruling, athletes in the 400m, 800m, and 1,500m bracket must have a two-year lowering of testosterone and the rest only a six.
“It was a rollercoaster thing because it is all new for us. It is very unfamiliar ground even for World Athletics. But we were fairly lucky to find the golden route. And Christine is doing well and training well,” he concluded. (Xinhua)
