British athlete Lynsey Sharp has defended comments she made regarding how “difficult” it was competing with athletes such as Caster Semenya after she came sixth in the women’s 800 metre final last night.
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That feat proved beyond the South African on this occasion, but she was nevertheless able to triumph comfortably in a new personal best and national record of 1:55.28, therefore improving on the silver medal she claimed at the London Games four years ago.
Semenya had stayed close to the field for most of the race but, in now familiar fashion, she put her foot on the gas in the final 200m as she moved into a comfortable lead. Following that, the IAAF ruled that women with a higher testosterone level would have to compete using hormone therapy or undergo a surgical procedure.
Semenya certainly didn’t dodge the question, but rather confronted it straight on. “I think it was a wise decision”. We’re not here to talk about the IAAF.
In a statement, she said: “I have a tremendous amount of respect for Caster. I was doing it for my people, the people who support me”.
She said she believed she could challenge Semenya but it was really no contest. In the second lap, Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi started her kick early and gave Semenya a run for her money. It’s not about discriminating against people.
She added: “It’s not about looking at people, how they look, how they speak, how they run”. It’s not about being more muscular. When you walk out of your apartment, you think about performing. Look it up, if you must. “It was just about being patient and do what you do best”. “I think the advice to everybody is to go out and have fun”. “That’s what I want to say”.
Semenya won gold in the women’s 800 meters at the Rio Olympics on Sunday, claiming the second Olympic medal of her career.
There had been talk of Semenya smashing the world record here, though Czech Jarmila Kratochvílová’s 1:53:28 – which is haunted by suspicions of foul play and is the longest-standing record – proved insurmountable. We focused more on being the best that we can be, producing a good performance.
“It was just a fantastic race”. I would have been disappointed with anything other than a medal last night, something which is always going to be hard in such a strong field.
“I do not have the time for them”.
Hours before Saturday’s final, International International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) president Sebastian Coe indicated that the world body would seek to revisit regulations regarding testosterone levels. “Competition is great, I love the competition, so everybody is just great”.
Semenya’s times dropped considerably when she was taking the medication. Last December, for example, she married long-term partner Violet Raseboya, South Africa having legalised same-sex marriage in 2006.
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Her competitors had raised concern that the condition gave her an unfair advantage.
