Caster Semenya He returned this Thursday to a World Cup after five years. He missed Doha 2019, as well as the Tokyo 2020 Games. Neither of them allowed him to compete in his star event, the 800 meters, due to his hyperandrogenism, a disorder that raises his testosterone levels and converts it to the International Federation in an intersex athlete.
According to the regulations, the South African, triple world champion and double Olympic gold, is prohibited from competing in events between 400 meters and the mile, the one that combines speed and endurance. To do so, she would have to undergo a treatment that artificially reduces her testosterone levels to the 5 nanomoles per liter of blood required by the rule, something that Semenya has rebelled against and that keeps her in a legal battle, at the moment unsuccessful. , against World Athletics.
Semenya, who still holds the fourth best world record of all time in the 800 (1:54.25), had only one alternative to continue competing: comply with the requirements and try a discipline where her XY chromosomes were not a problem. He opted for the 5,000, a long-distance test where he is far from becoming a star.
Semenya did not qualify directly for the World Cup. Her best mark is 15: 31.50, almost a minute and a half from the Ethiopian world record Letesenbet Gidey (14:06.62). But the casualties of several athletes ended up making a hole for him.
The South African jumped on the track in the first of the semifinals, and in her presentation she was received with applause. There was anticipation for her to see her performance on the track, but also little doubt that after the race she could come back home any time she wanted. In a fast race, launched by the Japanese Ririka Hironaka, Semenya held on to the leading group until the second kilometer passed. From there she declined. She finally crossed the finish line in thirteenth position, penultimate in the finish line.
«It was very hot, I couldn’t keep up, I tried to hold on as long as I could. But this is part of the game,” Semenya said after the race. “It’s great to be able to race here. The simple fact of being able to finish the 5,000 meters is a blessing for me. I am learning and willing to learn even more.”
His presence in Eugene was more of a vindication, of making his situation visible. But nothing suggests that anything will change. “She has the right to be here. If she decides to compete at a distance where the restrictions do not apply, it is her choice. She will be treated the same as any other athlete here », she affirmed yesterday Sebastian Coe, the president of the International Federation. “We have always followed the science, and the science is clear: Testosterone is the number one performance factor, and my responsibility is to protect the integrity of women’s sport.”
Letesenbet Gidey, world record holder and already with a title in Eugene after winning the 10,000, was the dominator of the series ahead of the Kazakh of Kenyan origin Caroline Kipkirui, her compatriot Gudaf Tsegay and the Dutch Sifan Hassan.
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