KweséESPN staff 6y

Semenya ends relationship with Verster

World and Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya has ended her working relationship with coach Jean Verster.

The 27-year-old has also moved from her Potchefstroom training base to the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), though she will train at the University of Pretoria's High Performance Centre.

Verster has confirmed the split after three years of working together, but says he will always be available to help Semenya should the need arise.

"She said she no longer required my services and that she had decided to go back to Pretoria. She's joining TUT," he was quoted in the Daily Sun.

"It's been three good years and I'll miss her. Caster was purely a talented, disciplined and hard-working athlete. She is, by far, the best athlete I've ever coached.

"[Botswana's 2012 Olympic silver medallist Nijel] Amos was talented and so was [1996 Olympic 800m silver medallist Hezekiel] Sepeng, but Semenya has everything that the others didn't have in terms of qualities. Overall Semenya is talented and disciplined."

Semenya will represent Team South Africa at the Commonwealth Games in Australia in April, but Verster doesn't see much in the way of competition.

"It's a relaxed year for her. She doesn't have much competition there; only the Kenyan middle distance ladies will put her to a test," he says.

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