Semenya leaves women's racing due to gender scandal

Caster Semenya chose to stop.

In the world of athletics, Caster Semenya is not only mentioned as a monument of talent and achievement, but also the center of persistent debates related to gender issues in modern sports .

From teen phenomenon to unbeatable star

Once the pride of South Africa and Africa, Semenya twice stepped onto the Olympic podium as an 800m champion, but her career was overshadowed by strict regulations related to her "biological sex".

Caster Mokgadi Semenya was born in 1991 in a small village in Limpopo, South Africa. From a very young age, she showed exceptional qualities in middle distances. The turning point came in 2009 when Semenya was just 18 years old and won the 800m gold medal at the World Championships in Berlin. The impressive performance, combined with her muscular appearance and powerful demeanor, quickly attracted international attention.

But along with the spotlight, she was forced to undergo “gender testing” – an unpleasant experience for any athlete. Semenya was diagnosed with a form of “difference of sex development” (DSD), meaning she has a typical male XY chromosome set, but her physical and social gender is female.

Semenya is said to be different from other female athletes.

Importantly, she was identified as female at birth, grew up and has always identified as a woman. However, it is this particular biological factor that has placed Semenya at the center of the biggest controversy in world sports for two decades.

Testosterone controversy and interrupted careers

World Athletics (WOA) has been implementing regulations since 2011 on “management of female athletes with naturally high testosterone”. Semenya has been a direct target of this policy. The governing body believes that her high testosterone levels give her an unfair advantage over other female athletes, as the hormone is closely linked to muscle strength and cardiovascular performance.

Meanwhile, many scientists and human rights activists objected, arguing that this was discrimination, depriving women who were born with such bodies of their right to compete.

In 2016, Semenya reasserted her status by winning the 800m gold medal at the Rio Olympics, then continued to dominate international competitions. But by 2019, she was officially banned from competing in her signature distance of 800m at the Olympics and world championships for refusing to take medication to artificially "lower" testosterone. Semenya affirmed: "I will not change my natural body just to compete."

Caster Semenya does not want to take hormone injections.

From then on, her career was over. At the peak of her form, unbeaten in more than 30 consecutive races, Semenya was forced to retire from the track.

Legal marathon journey and its end

Refusing to accept her exclusion, Semenya sued World Athletics in 2018. She took the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), then the Swiss Federal Court, but both failed. These courts argued that World Athletics' rules were necessary to ensure a "level playing field".

The case seemed closed, but in July 2023, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that Semenya had not received a fair trial in Switzerland and that some of the complex arguments had not been properly considered. This victory rekindled hope for Semenya, and many believe she will continue her appeal to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court.

However, in October 2025, Semenya's lawyers announced that she would no longer pursue the case. "Caster has taken the case to the highest court of competent jurisdiction and achieved significant success. Under the current circumstances, the case will not proceed," said lawyer Patrick Bracher.

At the age of 34, Semenya turned to coaching, closing the glorious chapter on the track, but the struggle continues. She affirmed that she will take the lead, continue to speak up and fight on behalf of DSD athletes, who are yearning for fair competition and respect.

Source: https://znews.vn/semenya-roi-duong-dua-nu-vi-thi-phi-gioi-tinh-post1590418.html