South Africa’s two-time Olympic champion, Caster Semenya says she has come to terms with who she is and is no longer going to be ashamed of being different from other women.
The 32-year-old Semenya, who was born with differences of sexual development (DSD) which means she has an elevated level of testosterone, a hormone that increases muscle mass and strength, told the BBC Africa that having achieved all that she set out to achieve in the sporting world, she had now redirected her efforts into “fighting for what is right” even as she continued her ongoing dispute with world athletics authorities.
The South African athlete cannot compete in female track events without taking testosterone-reducing drugs, but she says she has accepted the fact that she is different.
Semenya, who won Olympic gold in 800m in 2012 and 2016, and is a three-time world champion over the same distance, added that she was turning her attention to “winning battles against the authorities” rather than collecting medals, as competing at the Paris 2024 Olympics was no longer a goal for her.
“For me I believe if you are a woman, you are a woman,” she said.
“No matter the differences you have. I have realised I want to live my life and fight for what I think and I believe in myself.
“I know I am a woman and anything that comes along with it just accept it.
“At the end of the day, I know I am different. I don’t care about the medical terms or what they tell me. Being born without a uterus or with internal testicles. Those don’t make me less of a woman.
“Those are the differences I was born with and I will embrace them. I am not going to be ashamed because I am different. I am different and special and I feel great about it.
“It comes with why we fight for women’s sport. The importance of women’s sport is not being taken seriously and we need to take charge of our own bodies. Decide what is right for us. Not another gender deciding what we should look like.
“If we are woman enough or not, it is up to us. We know and believe in what is right, then why must we stop,” she added.