Sadly the two aren’t related. Caster captured gold at the IAAF World Championship but it was the IAAF’s gender investigation of Caster Semenya that has captured headlines.
It’s been a few days since Caster took the gold and I’ve held off on blogging about it for various reasons. Firstly people initially thought it humorous what was happening to Semenya, but I wasn’t convinced. Secondly I was trying to suss out the situation and finally I wanted to congratulate Semenya without the hype of her gender case being prominent.
So here’s to Caster Semenya, the First Lady of Sport in South Africa – as one newspaper rightfully put it.
Many articles and opinions are being written about Semenya, her gold medal, her rise to the forefront of her field and, of course, her gender. But let me say that I am proud to say that Caster Semenya is South African and brought us a gold medal this year. She deserves praise for this act.
But let me also make it clear that I was once a sprinter of short and medium distances (100m, 200m, 400m and relays) and I find it very difficult to understand a 6 second shave off her previous times to take her to the leading time in the 800m race this year. All this in a very short period of time.
I do have an alternate thought to those who jumped to the gender issue; what if Semenya, for the first time in her gifted life, actually received proper training this year. Not from a school teacher or a regional coach but from a professional. I firmly believe that it is within the realm of possibility that a person can take 6 seconds of their time if their initial time was nowhere near one that proper training can entice.
Personally I will be absolutely dumbfounded if Semenya turns out to be male. In fact I am almost certainly willing to say that She, is a She. But if it happens, it happens and we can try to cross that bridge when it comes tumbling down.
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August 25th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
I believe it was a blunder to drag the sports person into the limelight of doubt and embarrassment. Gender tests should be made obscured from the public, and best be conducted before the start of such high profile competitions as a world championship.
Unfortunately for the sports person now under the cloud of humiliating scrutiny, the masculine looks feed the doubting imagination of many. The tests are necessary now, I just wished it would have been done sooner and hidden from the media.
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:29 am
http://www.eu2hell.blogspot.com
The irrationally defensive reflexes by the ANC and the government show how prevalent racism and xenophoebia among the black-ruled hierarchy really is. Just as it is the case of the white South African in Canada who proved that he has been the victim of sustained and repeated racist attacks in South Africa. He proved that case in a country with a judiciary system that is the envy of the world and often lauded by the UN and other humanitarian organisations.
I find it peculiar that this blogsite ignores an issue that causes such furor throughout the South African society.
September 11th, 2009 at 11:39 am
“So here’s to Caster Semenya, the First Lady of Sport in South Africa – as one newspaper rightfully put it.”
Surreal! That someone would congratulate a person who claimed victory undeservingly and by trickery is beyond me.
South Africans are too much into navel-gazing to realise that there is a world outside with rules and regulations that – shock! – apply to South Africans too.
September 12th, 2009 at 8:25 am
Caster is an amazing athlete and I feel really sorry for her because of all the crap she has had to go through and still is going through with regards to here gender.
I am very interested to see the final medical results but I don’t think the way in which the media has dealt with this issue is fair on her at all…
But I suppose the media just wants to sell!