Caster is down but not out, as she prepares for new battle

Though she is likely to continue putting up a fight both on and off the track, and she clearly still has a tremendous amount of support, we might have to accept that we won’t see Caster Semenya competing in her specialist event again.

It’s not all bad, of course, and Semenya’s struggle is by no means over. Nor is she facing it alone.

Before taking World Athletics to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) – where she lost her fight against international gender rules last year – government announced its support of her stance, while Athletics South Africa launched a joint legal battle with the middle-distance star.

Then, after she appealed the CAS decision at the Swiss Supreme Court,
Semenya was backed by the United Nations Human Rights Council, which
claimed World Athletics was in danger of violating the rights of athletes with differences of sexual development (DSD).

And after losing her latest appeal last week, she again received widespread support from around the world, including the #LetHerRun movement which reportedly consists of former athletes, sport scientists and medical experts.

Throughout her long-running battle to compete against women, Semenya has insisted she will not give up, while her legal team remains confident that there are paths still available to her in an attempt to overturn the controversial regulations which force DSD athletes to take hormone suppressants to compete against women in certain track and field events.

For now, however, Semenya remains suspended from her best distances, and after announcing earlier this year that she will focus on the 200m sprint for the foreseeable future – an event she can run without restrictions – it seems she has accepted that this may be her only available route to the Olympic Games next season.

Based on the results of her recent court battles, she may ultimately be left fighting for the rights of other middle-distance athletes by aiming to set a long-term precedent, rather than ensuring she returns to distances ranging from 400m to the mile while still in her prime.

At the age of 29, she can’t afford to take chances if she hopes to add to her incredible record at major championships, and while she is
expected to appeal the latest court decision, it is perhaps in her own best interests to start seeing herself as a sprinter rather than a middle-distance runner.

In the long run, if the war she has waged ultimately paves the way for other DSD athletes, her sacrifice will no doubt be celebrated.

But whether she wins in court or succeeds in the 200m sprint, it seems
increasingly unlikely that we’ll witness her in action again at the highest level in her favoured 800m event.

There can be no real doubt that Semenya is in this battle to the end, but even the best fighters have to admit when they’re on the back foot and need time to recover.

While she prepares for the next round, the best we can hope for ahead of the Tokyo Games is that she becomes as capable in the 200m dash as she has been over just about every other distance.

It’s a lot to ask, but if such extreme versatility is at all possible, Semenya will find a way.

Wesley Botton.

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