Caster semenya biography of rory
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I’m not going to let a man come tell me how I should look. A man to tell me that ‘because you have high testosterone, because you have a deep röst, because you have this, you are not woman enough.’ No, no, no, no, no.- Caster Semenya
Semenya recently published her book titled ‘The Race to be Myself’, in which she takes us on a journey through her younger years in rural Limpopo, to her glory on international athletics tracks, and now to her ongoing kamp for what it means to be a woman in sport.
In a candid conversation with Carol, Semenya opens up about why this ongoing battle fryst vatten so important, not only for herself, but for every single person who feels their human rights have been violated somehow.
Semenya says, “It’s just a reminder to each and every one to säga ‘Hey you must know your rights, you must know who you are and you must own your identity.”
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In her book, Semenya speaks a lot about turning
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Caster Semenya is a year-old South African middle-distance runner who rose to prominence after winning the m at the World Championships at the age of 18 with consummate ease. The talk after her victory was not about Semenya’s age, or her impressive time of , but instead her sex. At this year’s Commonwealth Games, it is likely to be the same. Semenya has become the unfortunate ‘poster girl’ of a heated debate about gender in sports.
Suspicions were initially raised about Semenya, born and raised as a woman, because her femininity didn’t meet society’s idea of what a woman should be. Her deep voice and muscular physique conspicuously set her apart from athletes she competed against. That these attributes should arouse suspicions speaks of a binary attitude towards gender, when sex is clearly not divided into two neat categories. The IAAFs’ response to the issue was to place a limit on the level of testosterone which a woman was permitted to have in her system. Sex cannot be reduced t
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Caster Semenya: 'What I dream of is to become Olympic champion'
As we walk across to the playing fields she says: "It is not about what people think of you, it is about proving them wrong. Do you understand? It is about doing what you are best at. I am a runner, what I do best, is running. It is that simple."
And run she will. The World Championships, external in Beijing in August may come too soon for Semenya. But if she can stay injury free, she will take some stopping in Rio.
As she walks away, she turns back and says she may move into discus or shot put towards the end of her career. Then she says she would consider the marathon.
With a snort, a laugh and a wave, she is gone. That broad smile beaming.
South Africa does not expect anything from Semenya. She belongs to them, she is and always will be a heroine.
The world, however, watches with fascination.
The story of this brave, brilliant athlete, whose very being was questioned so publicly, is one