CAPE TOWN -South Africa’s double gold Olympic medallist Caster Semenya will be another attraction alongside three-time reigning champion Glenrose Xaba at the Cape Town Spar Women’s 10km Challenge taking place on Sunday, 29 March. The organisers confirmed Semenya will compete in the race which will officially mark the opening race of the 2026 Spar Grand Prix Series.

Sunday’s event will see Semenya’s second year as a competitor in the road racing series, as she continues to transition from her career as a world-class track athlete to distance running and coaching. She first competed in August 2024, setting the tone to challenge other 10km races in the series.

Bruce Davidson of BLD Communications said the former 800m Olympic champion will reflect on her race and Ledile Violet Semenya contribution to the growth of women’s road running in South Africa at a post-race media conference. The latter will speak on her success in athlete development.

Semenya’s move to road racing follows years of legal battles regarding World Athletics’ testosterone regulations, which have restricted her from competing in her signature track 800m. The celebrated middle-distance runner boasts two Olympic gold medals – her first at the 2012 London Games and another at the 2016 Rio Games.

Xaba will be hoping to make history this year by becoming the first athlete to win the Spar Grand Prix for a fourth time starting with Sunday’s leg of the series. “The Spar Grand Prix has become very important to me. I’m very proud to be the first black South African to win it three times. I hope my achievements are an inspiration to young girls living in poverty as I was, who see what I have done and believe they can do the same,” said Xaba.

Prize money has been increased to a whopping R2 million. The overall winner is guaranteed R210,000, the second-placed runner R105,000 and the third-placed runner will receive R80,000. Prize money for the age categories has also been increased, with the overall winner receiving R11,000 and the runner-up R8,000. There are incentives for the top five South African runners, with the top SAs set to receive R110,000, and the second R75,000 while the fifth-placed runner will take home R21,000.

The Cape Town race is the first of the five races with the others scheduled for Durban, Tshwane, Gqeberha and Johannesburg.

Also read: Caster Semenya wins legal victory: Swiss courts failed Olympic champion in testosterone case