Caster Semenya gender debate one of Rio’s hottest topics as 800m begins
CASTER Semenya has rivalled Usain Bolt for fascination in the lead-up to these Games and the intersex athlete has the world scratching their heads.
Athletics
Don't miss out on the headlines from Athletics. Followed categories will be added to My News.
CASTER Semenya has rivalled Usain Bolt for fascination in the lead-up to these Games.
The South African 800m champion is under the spotlight because of issues surrounding her gender and the fact she’ll most likely win the gold medal by half the length of the straight.
Semenya is classified as an intersex athlete, neither classically male or classically female.
The issue is her body produces high levels of testosterone for a woman which then obviously enhances her performances.
In the opening round of the 800m Semenya had the hand brake on big time, only releasing it briefly in the home straight to win her heat in 1min 59.31 sec.
She’s expected to break the world record in Saturday’s final — 1:53.28 sec — which was set by Czech Jarmila Kratochvilova in 1983 during an era of drug cheating.
What ramps up the spotlight on the event even further is when you look at her main challengers — both of whom are suspected to be suffering the same condition as Semenya.
Kenya’s Margaret Nyairera Wambui is a tall, muscular, intimidating physical specimen who cruised through the heats while Burundi’s Francine Niyonsaba is the other athlete who has had her genetics questioned.
In the lead-up to Rio, Semenya and Niyonsaba have run the five fastest 800s of the year.
Australia’s Selma Kajan was run out in the 800m heats and described the Semenya issues as “sensitive”.
“It is one of those things that is just going to develop over time,” she said. “Hopefully they will find the right solution to fit everybody. At the moment it doesn’t really affect me so I am trying to compete the best I can.
“I really don’t know much about the topic. I know there is a CAS ruling and a lot of documentation but I don’t know the science behind it. I can’t make an overall opinion about it until I know all the facts.
“Hopefully the IAAF will come to some sort of conclusion and make it fair for everyone.”
When asked specifically on Semenya, the silver medallist from London 2012, Kajan said: “Look, she is an amazing athlete and she has been doing some amazing times this year. She is eligible to compete so we have to accept it at the moment.”
Semenya burst onto the spotlight in 2009 as an 18-year-old who won the world title by more than two seconds after improving her 800m best by more than eight seconds that season.
Her speed and appearance created a media frenzy, while some of her competitors voiced suspicions regarding Semenya’s sex.
As a result, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) launched an investigation.
She was cleared to compete a year later but the governing body then moved to have a testosterone limit which meant the likes of Semenya would need to have an operation or be on medicine to treat the issue.
This saw a drop off in performances by the South African in recent times until an appeal by an Indian sprinter, Dutee Chand, with a similar condition to Semenya’s, challenged the IAAF’s rule at the Court of Arbitration for Sport and won.
Since that ruling in July 2015, Semenya’s performance graph has spiked.
In April, presumably after six or seven months without female hormone medication, Semenya won the 400m, 800m, and 1500m at the South African National Championships, all within a four-hour period.
At last month’s Monaco Diamond League she ran the fastest time of her life, 1:55.33 sec, beating home Niyonsaba who also set a personal best in the race.
And now the world is watching on the biggest stage of all ... collectively scratching their heads.
Originally published as Caster Semenya gender debate one of Rio’s hottest topics as 800m begins
‘Nearly lost my life’: Olympians’ shock reveal
Australian Olympic athletics star Morgan Mitchell has opened up on one of the darkest moments of her life.
Round and round … and round: Aussie hero chases insane record as ‘cooked’ new challenge begins
Two years after completing a 3953km journey from Perth to Sydney, Australian cult hero Nedd Brockmann is about to embark on his next utterly insane challenge.