Lynsey Sharp (centre) has been lambasted for criticising South Africa’s Caster Semenya (right) who won a gold medal in the 800m women’s final on Saturday.
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Semenya’s time was exactly two seconds slower than Jarmila Kratochvilova’s 33-year-old world record and, given how much she appeared to have left in the tank, that mark appears within her grasp.
There were many who thought that setting a new global standard would be Semenya’s aim, but she eased off in the final metres and finished in 1:55.28 – her new personal best as well as a new national record.
She was so eloquent, those listening could be forgiven for wondering why she had not done it more before, until they remembered Semenya never asked to be put in this position, and that her body is no one’s business but her own.
A then 18-year-old Semenya burst on the scene and into the world public consciousness in 2009, when she easily lapped the field at the world championships in Berlin, attracting as much attention for her look and appearance as her skill and speed.
High profile complaints compelled the IAAF to suspend the rule in July previous year as there was no sufficient evidence to connect hyperandrogenism to improved performance.
Speaking after her victory, Semenya preferred to focus on her gold medal rather than “talk about some speculation”.
She was still good enough to take silver behind Savinova in London but the Russian is facing a lifetime ban from the sport after evidence implicating her in doping.
In a statement, she said: “I have a tremendous amount of respect for Caster”.
“This is a complicated medical issue, but I don’t think it is actually a complicated procedure”, Coe said. They were expecting more out of me.
Semenya has previously said: ‘I think sports are meant to unite people.
Her “intersex” condition of hyperandrogenism gives her testosterone levels that are three times those usually found in women and approaching those of a man. “The coaches told me: just focus on running, nothing else”.
“It’s (not) about discriminating against people, it’s (not) about looking at people (for) how they look, you know, how they speak, how they run”.
Semenya deserves the same respect and should not be penalized and persecuted for the way she was born.
Partially in response to those rumblings, world athletics chiefs implemented restrictions on testosterone levels in 2011.
Semenya, who has been subject to gender testing, won silver in 2012. “I have meant a lot to my people”.
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Belarusian world champion Marina Arzamasova went through as a fast loser. Chand’s victory in court did not lead to a win on the track; she failed to get the past the heats in Rio with a time of 11:69.
