Top 10 Interesting Facts about Caster Semenya

Caster Semenya London 2012.  La sud africaine: Caster Semenya, médaille d’argent aux 800m aux JO de Londres Tab59 from Düsseldorf, Allemagne. Photo unattributed – Wikimedia Commons 

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Caster Semenya

Mokgadi Caster Semenya OIB is a South African middle-distance runner and winner of two Olympic gold medals and three World Championships in the women’s 800 meters. 

This 25-year-old runner from South Africa is already poised to take home gold, though some have argued over whether she’s even eligible to compete. 

 Her gender has been questionable over the years, however, the time has come to prove that Semenya’s gender is uncontroversially female. She is legally female, was from birth raised as female, and identifies as a female.

So, on the current definition, Semenya is a female. Indeed, there has been no question of her gender.

1. She dominated the World Championships at just 18 years old.

Caster Semenya. Photo by Yann Caradec from Paris, France – Wikimedia Commons

At 18 years old, Caster Semenya became the 13th fastest woman ever to run the 800 meters.

In 2009, Caster dominated the track when she won the 800-meter event with a time of 1:55.45, setting a new South African record national record with a time of 1:55.33.

She hasn’t stopped making South Africans proud since.

2. She’s already an Olympic medalist.

Caster Semenya at the 2010 Memorial Van Damme, Brussels, Belgium. Photo by Erik van Leeuwen – Wikimedia Commons

 She’s no stranger to the games since she won the silver medal in the women’s 800-meter at the 2012 London Games. However, the runner who beat her, Russia’s Mariya Savinova, is now sidelined under a lifetime ban for doping, according to The Guardian. 

3. There’s been some inappropriate hand-wringing over whether Caster should be able to compete against other women. 

Caster Semenya of South Africa at the 2018 African Athletics Championships. Photo by Bob Ramsak – Wikimedia Commons

In a New Yorker profile  Caster explained she had even shown competitors her genitalia to prove her gender. Still, while Caster has never confirmed this, many believe she has an intersex condition, according to Sports Illustrated. 

 This means her body produces higher levels of testosterone than most women, which means she can build more muscle mass.

4. The International Association of Athletics Federations has tested Caster for gender verification. 

Caster Semenya at Diamond League, Bislett Games 2011. Photo by Paalso Paal Sørensen 2011 – Wikimedia Commons

The process of verifying an athlete’s gender isn’t new, and it was announced that the IAAF asked Caster to take the test before the 2009 World Championships. The results were never made public, but Caster has been cleared to complete. She returned to the competition in 2010.

While other runners get nervous ahead of their race, Caster pumps her hip hop and gospel music to relax her nerves, despite there being questions about her gender.

She is now slated to take gold in this year’s 800-meter event. Give Caster a quick Google search and you’ll find one dominating fact: This woman is poised to win gold this year.

Caster has been dominating the track lately, and some people think it’s due to a change in the IAAF’s rules.

Previously, there was a ceiling on testosterone levels for female athletes, and anyone who had levels above the ceiling would have to take testosterone‑suppressing medication in order to compete.

 People have noticed that during that time, Caster’s times seemed to slow down. But now, the rule has been reversed, and Caster has been improving again.

5. And let’s be real, speculating about her gender is not OK

Caster Semenya and Alice Schmidt during the 2011 World championships Athletics in Daegu. Photo by Erik van Leeuwen – Wikimedia Commons

Everyone wants the games to be “fair,” but Caster shouldn’t be shamed for who she is, and at the end of the day, she has been cleared to compete, so that is that.

6. Also, she doesn’t care about ~the haters~ one bit.

Caster Semenya during World Championships Athletics 2009 in Berlin. Photo by Erik van Leeuwen – Wikimedia Commons

Once, when a reporter asked her about the rumors that she wasn’t a woman, she responded by saying, “I have no idea about that. I don’t know. I don’t give a damn about it.” Skip to 0:49 to see the badass moment:

7. Caster is a sports science student at the University of Pretoria in South Africa

Caster Semenya at the 2017 Bislett Games. Photo by Chell Hill – Wikimedia Commons

At the University of Pretoria, she also trains, though she was born in the small town of Ga-Masehlong, in South Africa’s Limpopo province.

8. The 800-meter isn’t even her favorite race. 

TV and Radio Presenter Jen Su with SA Olympic Silver Medalist Caster Semenya at a Lead SA private media party to welcome home the Team SA Olympic Athletes. Photo by Jennifer Su from Hong Kong, China – Wikimedia Commons

Semenya told The Guardian that she actually prefers the 1,500-meter event more, even though she’s famous for the 800-meter. “I like [the 1,500-meter] race more than any other,” she explained.

“I like how you can sit back and relax, and wait for the right moment, it’s not like the 800 where you just need to go.”

9. And running isn’t the only sport she loves. 

Caster Semenya at the 2011 Bislett Games. Photo by Chell Hill – Wikimedia Commons

Caster also loves Manchester United and likes to watch golf, rugby, and Formula 1, according to the BBC. In fact, she was originally interested in football until a teacher introduced her to running.

10. Her times are almost unbeatable. 

Caster Semenya gagne le 800m. Photo unattributed – Wikimedia Commons 

According to Sports illustrated. Caster ran in Monaco last month and won the 800-meter event with a time of 1:55.33. Only 11 women in history have run the event faster.

Semenya might beat the world record during this year’s Olympics. Because Caster’s times keep improving, some think she might beat the world record of 1:53.28. The record was set by Jarmila Kratochvílová 33 years ago, according to Sports Illustrated.