While South African celebrate Semenya as a national hero for being the first black woman from the country to win an Olympic gold, the world see her as a controversial runner who has an upper hand against female competitors.
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During the weekend’s 800m final, two other competitors who have faced similar issues – Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi and Kenya’s Margaret Nyairera Wambui – took the silver and bronze medals, respectively.
Though the decision was in relation to a young Indian woman named Dutee Chand – she too competed in Rio, but ran only one heat of the 100 metres with a time that was 50th best out of a field of 64 – it also applied to Semenya.
Semenya arrived in Rio having displayed outstanding form, but her victory is unfortunately likely to prompt further awkward questions relating to the elevated testosterone levels produced by the 25-year-old.
“Let’s focus first of all on the performance today, let’s not focus on any medication”, Wambui said.
But some rivals have complained that Semenya’s hyperandrogenism gives her an “unfair” advantage over other female athletes.
“Sports is meant to unite people”.
After a victory in the 2009 World Championships, Semenya was subjected to a gender test.
She fought a long battle to compete at the highest level, and took part in the Olympics after the International Association of Athletics Federations’s regulations on the issue were overturned. It’s not discriminating people.
“I think when you walk out of your apartment, you think about performing, you do not think about [what] your opponents look like. the advice is everybody is just to go out there and have fun”.
“You can see how emotional it all was”, she reportedly told BBC.
“We know how each other feel, but it is out of our control and how much we rely on people at the top sorting it out. The public can see how hard it is with the change of rule but all we can do is give it our best”.
During the Olympic Games in 2012 in London, a television commentator stirred storm after suggesting that the South African might have intentionally won silver to avoid the scrutiny that could have arose if she won gold.
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In December a year ago, Semenya married her long-time partner Violet Raseboya in a traditional wedding ceremony in Ga-Dikgale village in Limpopo.
