Caster Semenya’s long journey to Olympic gold must surely have been incredibly painful at times, but her victory in Rio early yesterday finally saw her rise above years of controversy and humiliation, and claim what is rightfully hers.
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Caster Semenya 2012 silver medallist turned on the gas with 150m to go to cross the line more than 1.20sec clear of the field in 1min 55.28sec at the Olympic Stadium. The IAAF talks of athletes with hyperandrogenism, which sounds like something encountered in Star Trek. It’s not about looking at people at how they look, how they speak, how they run. It’s not about being muscular.
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.
In December a year ago, Semenya married her long-time partner Violet Raseboya in a traditional wedding ceremony in Ga-Dikgale village in Limpopo. “We just have to utilize it”.
Semenya explained that Nelson Mandela had once told her: “Sports is meant to make people feel united” and that’s what she is trying to do. The court ruled that there was insufficient evidence that the performance advantage caused by hyperandrogenism was so substantial that it warranted excluding women with elevated testosterone from competing unless they take medication or undergo treatment to change their bodies.
But under a legal challenge, the IAAF was forced to drop the testosterone-limiting rules previous year. But the question being asked is one that will surface more frequently at athletic events in the future.
But what is not unusual about Semenya is that most elite athletes do have unusual physical traits – a major reason they are so much better than Average Joes in the first place.
Semenya missed out on the world record of 1:53:28 but still made her country proud as they expressed support for her on social media with the hashtag #HandsOffCaster. She also produced her trademark celebration: She pulled her arms up and flexed her bicep muscles, then brushed her hands across her shoulders – the way she brushed off her rivals.
Olympic legend, Michael Johnson, named Wayde van Niekerk’s win in the 400 meter, breaking his 17-year old record – as one of his top five moments of the Rio games.
“I think this is the highlight of my life”.
“I just want to be a better athlete”. British runner Lynsey Sharp, who finished sixth in this weekend’s final, said in the aftermath of the race: “The public can see how hard it is with the change of rule but all we can do is give it our best”. Others refused to talk about the testosterone issue.
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Not even the criticism she’d faced in the run-up to the final shook her, as she maintained her focus throughout the Games.
