DOUBLE Olympic gold medallist Caster Semenya has caused concern among athletes that her condition, hyperandrogenism, is giving her an unfair advantage.
And the IAAF have ruled that Semenya will have to reduce her testosterone levels if she is to continue racing.
Who is Caster Semenya?
Mokgadi Caster Semenya, is a middle-distance runner and 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold medallist.
The South African athlete has testosterone levels three times higher than is expected in women due to hyperandrogenism.
She has no womb or ovaries, but instead has internal testes because of a chromosomal abnormality.
Semenya identifies as a woman, but some would label her as intersex.
In January 2017, Semenya married her longtime partner Violet Raseboya in a glamorous white wedding ceremony on her own 26th birthday.
Caster Semenya and her wife Violet Raseboya changed into traditional outfits for a dance at their wedding reception[/caption]
What has Semenya won?
Semenya won gold in the women’s 800 metres at the World Championships in 2009, 2011 and London 2017.
She took bronze in the 1,500m in London as well.
Her 2011 World and 2012 Olympic 800m golds were awarded to her after the winner on the day, Russia’s Mariya Savinova-Farnosova, was stripped of her title due to doping offences.
In April 2016, Semenya was the first person to win all three of the 400m, 800m, and 1500m titles at the South African National Championships.
She set world-leading records of 50.74 and 1:58.45 in the first two events, and a 4:10.93 in the 1500m.
She also won gold in the 800m at the Rio Olympics.
And in April 2018 she stormed to victory in the women’s 800m and 1,500m at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
And most recently, on May 3 2019, she won the 800m at the Doha Diamond League meet, 2.77 seconds ahead of second-placed Francine Niyonsaba.
What is hyperandrogenism and could she be stopped from competing?
Hyperandrogenism is when the female body has high levels of male sex hormones such as testosterone.
The conditions tend to include acne, seborrhea (inflamed skin), hair loss on the scalp, increased body hair, masculine appearance, menstrual irregularities, a deeper voice and increased sex drive.
Under new IAAF rules, all competitors will have to have a blood testosterone level of below five at all times in order to compete.
Should an athlete’s blood testosterone levels be found to have exceeded five, they must then ensure they are below the limit for six continuous months before competing again.
These rules mean Semenya must to take medication to bring her levels down, according to ABC.
Despite ruling the regulations discriminatory, CAS dismissed Semenya’s appeal and labelled the IAAF regulations “necessary, reasonable and proportionate” to protect “the integrity of female athletics”.
Semenya is now set to be banned from May 8 if her testosterone levels are above those permitted by the IAAF.
Caster (right) married her long time partner in an extravagant ceremony[/caption]
Why was Caster Semenya investigated?
After winning gold in the 2009 World Championships by beating her best time by four seconds, Semenya was subjected to gender testing.
She was banned from international competitions for almost a year before being cleared by the International Association of Athletics Federations.
The IAAF believe that all other hyperandrogenic athletes should not compete unless they try to curb their naturally high testosterone levels.
Following her case, testosterone testing was brought in to identify cases where testosterone levels were elevated above an arbitrary level.
If women were over it, they were required to lower it with hormone treatment.
But it has faced legal challenges from female athletes who claim their high testosterone levels are “entirely natural” and that the IAAF rule was “discriminatory against women”.
How have Semenya’s fellow athletes responded to her success?
In 2016 Britain’s Lynsey Sharp reignited the gender “row” over Semenya — and faced a furious social media backlash – when she took Olympic gold in Rio and set a new national record.
Sharp — who finished the final in sixth place — admitted that it was “difficult” to race against her.
She said: “I have tried to avoid the issue all year. You can see how emotional it all was.
“We know how each other feels. It is out of our control and how much we rely on people at the top sorting it out.”
“The public can see how difficult it is with the change of rule, but all we can do is give it our best.”
It was reported that Semenya was provided with a security team in Rio due to concerns the hostility might turn violent.
At the London World Championships she pipped Britain’s Laura Muir to a medal beating her at the death in the 1,500m.
Source: Athletics - thesun.co.uk
