As predicted, Caster Semenya wins 800 Olympic title

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.

Semenya’s times dropped considerably when she was taking the medication.

Semenya is widely believed to be “intersex”, defined by the United Nations as people born with sex characteristics “that do not fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies”. Neither Semenya, nor her team, nor the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) have ever confirmed this.

Dogged by detractors who questioned her womanhood and demanded tests and treatment, South African runner Caster Semenya has rallied her nation behind her and triumphed with a gold medal, eloquently responding to her critics by telling the world that sports is “all about loving one another”.

But these were unfounded, because SA’s golden girl has reached a point where she is happy within herself.

South African International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Anant Singh also congratulated Semenya on her performance. Beitia looked the most relaxed on the field as she smiled and waved her spirit fingers before each jump.

The complex and highly sensitive issue of hyperandrogenism in female athletes is once again a major talking point following Caster Semenya’s victory in the women’s 800 metre final at Rio 2016.

Semenya was close to Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, another Olympic star who won a silver medal for the men’s final in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

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. The IAAF’s ruling was just the latest intrusion, until India’s fastest woman, Dutee Chand, challenged the global sporting body.

When Semenya first emerged on the scene she was forced to have gender testing and subjected to cruel comments about her appearance. Back then she was taking hormones to surpress her naturally high testesterone levels, as the IAAF insisted she must do if she wanted to continue to compete.

But this night, Semenya’s night, was neither the time nor place for rivals to get into the debate about the need or otherwise for testosterone-limiting rules. In South Africa, she won the 400m, 800m, and 1500m all in one day at the National Track and Field Championships in April.

The August that year Semenya came first in the 800m at the World Championships with a race time of 1:55.45, which set the fastest time of that year.

But she isn’t running any more. From politicians to ordinary fans, the country has risen to her defence as the controversy rages.