By: Jessica Gatten
Caster Semenya is a runner from South Africa who has been
accused of being a male all her life. She grew up playing sports in the field
with the boys and lapping girls in races at the school. Caster is fast there is
no question about that; the questions rise due to her “manish” figure, her
remarkable speed, and her deep voice. The article we read in the New York Times
discusses her experience at the World Championship in Berlin. The closest racer
to her was 2.45 seconds slower, that is a huge difference. The competitors from
other countries started speaking out and accusing her of being something more than
a woman.
“The International Assn. of Athletic
Federations has asked the 5-foot-7, 140-pound athlete to undergo a battery of
complex gender tests, and it could take months to get the results. If found to
be male, Semenya could be disqualified from competing and stripped of her
medals” (Dixon 2009). This is a girl who was eighteen at the time being forced
to prove she is a real woman just to keep her amazing accomplishments. She was
cleared to compete again and could keep her medals, but it didn't come free,
she was forced to take a year off while the test was going on and most likely
messed with her mental health. She recovered well though competing in the
Olympics this past summer and receiving a silver medal.
Caster Semenya
from a little town in South Africa overnight turned into a world phenomenon.
She was talked about from California to Australia everyone had an opinion and
most of them weren't pleasant. A popular Magazine contacted Semenya and gave
her a make-over and the picture below shows the final product. Although Semenya
looks happy I don’t believe someone needs to wear makeup and look feminine to
be recognized as a female. This eighteen year old girl grew up running and has
every right to no matter what she looks like. Next to her makeover photo of her after the world championship in 2010, the performance that
started the whole uproar. Personally I wish Caster Semenya the best of luck and
I hope she continues to strive and start speaking about her experience.
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