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Despite clocking the fifth-fastest time in the
400 metres last year, Seyni may not be able to compete in her
favoured event because she refuses to take hormone suppressants
for elevated testosterone levels.
In 2018, World Athletics, the sport's international governing
body, imposed a testosterone cap for races between 400m and a
mile, arguing that hyperandrogenous female athletes enjoy an
unfair advantage at those distances.
The rule, which also affects the South African double Olympic
800 metres champion, Caster Semenya, will likely limit Seyni to
the 200 metres in Tokyo.
"I feel a little bit sad because if I ran the 400 metres I could
have won a medal, but for the 200 there are a lot of athletes
that are better developed," said Seyni, wearing a pink
windbreaker and blue leggings, as she took a break from training
in Senegal's capital, Dakar.
Like Semenya, Seyni, who has a deep voice and powerful physique,
refuses to take medication to reduce her testosterone levels.
Semenya said the treatment made her constantly sick when she
took it earlier in her career and she is appealing a decision
last year by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upholding
the World Athletics' rule.
Seyni was barred from competing in the 400m at November's world
championships in Doha following a breakout season in which only
two runners posted faster times.
She reached the semi-finals in the 200 metres in Doha. She is
also aiming to compete in the 100 metres at the Olympics.
Despite the disappointment of likely exclusion from the 400m in
Tokyo, Seyni is determined to try for what would be only the
second Olympic medal since 1972 for Niger, an arid West African
country ranking last on the U.N. Human Development Index.
"I only want to concentrate on the 100 and 200 to see how it
goes, because it's different," she said. "I'll do my best to see
if I can win a medal."
(Writing by Juliette Jabkhiro; Editing by Aaron Ross and Ken
Ferris)
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