“The public can see how hard it is with the change of rule but all we can do is give it our best”.
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So obsessed were Europeans with Sarah Baartman’s protuding derriere – a characteristic typical of the Khoisan people who lived for centuries at the southern tip of Africa – that a British Marine surgeon whisked her off to London and put her in a cage for all the world to see.
“It is out of our control”, she told BBC Sport, but “we rely on people at the top sorting it out”.
A number of British and US athletes and media commentators have complained that Ms. Semenya has an unfair advantage over her rivals because of an elevated testosterone level.
But while Twitter has had its say, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) will challenge the ruling with the court for arbitration, which could mean the reinstatement of suppressants.Do you have anything to add?
Her win does, however, bring to 10 the number of medals bagged by the South African team at the Olympics.
The Limpopo-born athlete led for much of the first lap before dropping off into second place for much of the second lap, but then she showed the world why she’s been the best 800 metre runner this year.
However, this ruling was reversed a year ago when Indian sprinter Dutee Chand successfully appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which suspended the practice of testosterone regulation and challenged the IAAF to present better evidence by July 2017.
On her Facebook page on Sunday, Semenya wrote: “I wish that i was able to express the way I feel right now”. I’m incredibly proud of that.
I can’t begin to imagine what went through Semenya’s mind as she trudged off the Joao Havelange Stadium track after wining her heat in commanding fashion on Wednesday.
Speaking after her victory, Semenya preferred to focus on her gold medal rather than “talk about some speculation”.
Social media has been awash in her defense and South Africans started #HandsOffCaster, one of the most popular hashtags since her Olympics victory. I refused to answer questions from any other media on the topic.
Asked how, exactly, she felt she had made a difference to her sport, she replied: “I think it is all about loving one another”.
After Sharp’s comments, many criticised her lack of respect for her competitors.
“Everyone can see it’s two separate races so there’s nothing I can do”, she said earlier this summer.
It was the Indian sprinter, Duttee Chand, who took her case to the CAS, where she accused the IAAF of discriminating against her by setting an upper limit for the testosterone levels of female competitors. This press conference is about the 800m that we saw here today.
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Should Caster Semenya be allowed to compete in women’s events?
