Semenya Ditches 800m for 3,000m Race to Avoid Being Forced to Lower Her Testosterone Levels
South African middle-distance runner Caster Semenya appears to have ditched the 800m race to avoid being forced to reduce her testosterone levels.
The double 800m Olympic Champion will compete in the 3,000 meters race at the Diamond League’s Prefontaine Classic in Stanford, California on June 30th.
The 28-year-old has been adamant she will not take drugs to lower her testosterone levels to comply with new International Associations of Athletics Federation (IAAF) rules, which took effect this month.
This will be her first race since the new rules went into effect on May 8th.
The new regulations require female athletes with high natural levels of testosterone wishing to participate in events from 400m to a mile to medically lower that level to under 5 nmol/L.
On May 1st, Semenya lost her appeal against the new rules at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
In its ruling, CAS stated that the regulations were necessary to ensure fair competition.
Semenya will lock horns with world 5,000-metres champion Hellen Obiri, 2016 world indoor 1,500-metres champion Sifan Hassan, and 2018 world indoor 1,500 and 3,000-metres champion Genzebe Dibaba in California.
“It was a request from Caster Semenya’s agent asking if she could run a 3,000,” meet director Tom Jordan told Reuters. “Of course we said yes.”
Comments (4)
At least Semenya is South Africa's womens' 5000 meters champion. Our Margarete Nyairera is a decent 800 meter runner.Not dominant.Her carrier in international running may be over.Its so unfortunate.
Some are blaming IAAF for instituting this policy of reducing male hormones if one is hyperandrogenic.But the real problem originated for female athletes with xx chromosomes .Even Kenya female athletes felt that the likes of Semenya, Francine,and Nyairera should not compete with them.
Anyway, I will be surprise if Semenya makes waves in races over 3000meter.She is too muscular for long races. She should probably try 100, 200 meter---and may be she has...
While on this topic. I just read that Eunice Kirwa the Kenyan born Baharain has tested positive for banned substance.She was the silver medalist in RIO where Kenyan doper won gold.Last year Ruth Jebet the 3000 sleeplechase gold medalist also Kenyan born running for Barain test positive for banned substance.Do you guys see atrend here? Same corruption we see in the country in other sectors mainly business has permeated sports,and even exported the vice.
Waabaru were running to Kenya to buy athletes and now with afew ashaming them, they may just start grooming their own runners,which would be agood thing for their own home grown athletes.These arabs should understand that you dont always have to win. The spirit of participation is what should be encouraged>This is what brings harmony among nations,not the combatant,and competition part of athletics.Just groom your own,even if they dont win medals,they will represent you honarably,as opposed to buying runners to fly your flag. You are not fooling any body.These commercial runners cannt speak the language much less sing the national anthem .
Back to Semenya. Good luck .
They truly need to let her be. This is preposterous
Is it the same organization in charge of all these?
She should take hormonal treatment,She still has an advantage over women without testosterone!