Jean Verster, the coach who has worked with her since 2014, told the Guardian recently he has been “trying to protect her” from the arguments that rage. “I felt a lot of compassion for her, and I still do”. I really don’t know enough about it to offer a proper and educated opinion.
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Given her position in world sport, Semenya engages very little with press and media.
The Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, meanwhile, suspended the IAAF rule last summer for two years so more research could be conducted. Since then, Semenya has dominated on the road to Rio and is regarded as a almost certain gold medalist.
Semenya’s determination to keep competing has also provoked discussions about exactly whose rights are being trampled here: Semenya’s?
“There’s clearly a very big gap between those who are affected by it and those who aren’t”, said French runner Justine Fedronic.
All we can say is God’s speed Caster and we’ll be rooting for you all the way.
“I believe that it is not unreasonable to suggest that half of the eight-woman 800m final in Rio might well be intersex”, Joanna Harper, a physicist and panel member advising the International Olympic Committee on gender issues, said. “This kind of scrutiny is inhumane and is a violation of Semenya’s human rights”.
Caster has neither denied or affirmed claims about her gender or testosterone condition, but according to an interview with You magazine she says, “I see it all as a joke, it doesn’t upset me”.
“She is eligible to compete so we have to accept it at the moment”.
Author Malcolm Gladwell said: “One woman born with the biological equivalent of a turbocharger is being allowed to “compete” against 99% of women who have no such advantage”. So I don’t know what the solution is. She just ran slower, which shows she’s feeling the pressure of everything that’s happened to her.
Caster Semenya has been called many things – not all of them pleasant – and it seems the South African runner has made a decision to funnel this second Olympic campaign of hers down to just her and her event. South African team officials said Semenya would not answer questions.
“I’m just focussing on winning my championships so I can better my 800m”.
“Times don’t matter in the championships, what matters is a gold, silver or a bronze medal”.
Semenya had struggled to rediscover the form of her breakthrough year – some blaming the dip on medication to reduce the testosterone – but this season she has roared back to her best and came to Rio unbeaten on the Diamond League circuit. “I just tried to hang on and tried to feel my body first so I was comfortable”. She, too, is thought to be among the athletes with hyperandrogenism, though she spoke freely about the track and her race and then left.
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As Semenya prepares to race for Olympic gold in the women’s 800 m, guest host Gill Deacon checks in with Pape. CAS has given the IAAF until 2017 to present scientific evidence that proves intersex athletes have an unfair advantage. The hashtag has already been used over 17,000 times on Twitter and it seems that figure is only likely to increase as she goes for gold in Rio – and potentially a new world record.
