Caster Semenya's Struggle: The Agonizing Impact of Testosterone Regulations on Women Athletes
Caster Semenya, the South African Olympic champion, describes the detrimental effects on her health and the challenges she faced while being subjected to testosterone limits for female athletes
South African double Olympic champion, Caster Semenya, expressed to CNN her distress over being required to take medication to reduce testosterone levels for international competition, describing the experience as "hell" and highlighting the adverse effects on her health. In her recently published book, "The Race To Be Myself," Semenya reveals the detrimental consequences the medication had on her physical well-being and expresses her determination to advocate against subjecting other women to similar hardships.
"I would say it was hell because each and every day you live under stress," Semenya told CNNs Bianna Golodryga, speaking about taking the medication.
These women were disqualified from participating in competitions due to their natural attributes. The runner has been involved in a highly debated topic, receiving endorsements from world-famous athletes such as tennis legend Martina Navratilova. However, British runner Lynsey Sharp emotionally expressed the challenges and hardships faced by her and other athletes competing against Semenya.
Sharp, overwhelmed with emotion, cried as she witnessed Semenya triumphantly seize the victory at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Semenya, who possesses hyperandrogenism and naturally elevated testosterone levels, is currently engaged in a battle against recent regulations introduced in 2019 by World Athletics (formerly known as the IAAF) that aim to control hormone levels in female athletes.
Semenya won an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in July to overturn the testosterone limits. According to Semenya, the limits had negative physical and emotional effects on her, causing feelings of unhappiness, sickness, and panic attacks, as well as blood clotting.
Your stomach feels a burning sensation, brought on by your excessive eating habits. Sleep eludes you, and you experience profuse sweating on a daily basis.
It resembles an unfillable hole, growing deeper with each attempt to satisfy it. It's akin to measuring a casket, climbing inside, and burying oneself. This period of existence was anything but easy; it was a tremendous struggle.
Caster Semenya was one of the most dominant runners in the world during her prime.
Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
In a statement to CNN, World Athletics said it stood by its rules and research.
"World Athletics asserts that it possesses over ten years of research compiled directly from DSD athletes within our own field, illustrating that elevated levels of testosterone indeed confer an unjust advantage within the female category," World Athletics stated.
"Furthermore, the research demonstrates that the prevalence of DSD individuals among the elite athlete population is approximately 140 times greater than that within the general female population. As a result, our guidelines pertaining to testosterone thresholds are deemed essential, fair, and commensurate in safeguarding the integrity of the female category, a stance supported by two courts of law."
"If we dont protect the female category, then women and young girls will not choose sport."
Inconclusive impact on performance
Semenya clinched the gold medal in the 800m race at both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. However, due to the regulations implemented by World Athletics in 2019, she was required to undergo testosterone-reducing treatment if she wished to compete internationally in events between 400m and one mile. Semenya chose not to pursue this course of action and, as a result, was unable to defend her 800m title in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Differences in sex development (DSD) refer to variations in reproductive anatomy, chromosome patterns, or other characteristics that may not conform to conventional binary definitions of male or female.
The exact number of individuals with DSD traits is challenging to determine, as many remain unaware of their condition throughout their lives. It is estimated by scientists that approximately one in every 50 individuals is born with DSD traits. Semenya recognized the differences in her body, yet vehemently argued that DSD athletes do not possess an unjust advantage in sports.
"Im born a woman, but Im a woman with no uterus. I have no fallopian tubes. I dont go through menstruation," Semenya said.
"Yes, Im different, but it doesnt make me less of a woman."
"I have reached my current position through my dedication, hard work, discipline, and various other factors," she stated.
"However, it seems that when a woman achieves greatness in sports, it is perceived as a threat to men. On the contrary, when a man performs well, he is hailed as phenomenal."
"But genetically, its something that you can say you cannot control it."
Semenya is a two-time Olympic champion.
ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Semenya has been engaged in a lengthy dispute with World Athletics, particularly with its president Sebastian Coe, for nearly ten years regarding testosterone regulation. She has suffered defeats in her appeals against the ruling in both 2019 and 2020.
The scientific evidence on this matter remains inconclusive.
New chapter
According to retired endocrinologist Peter Sonksen, there is strong evidence supporting the idea that muscle mass significantly increases as the dosage of testosterone is raised. However, Sonksen also acknowledged that the connection between blood testosterone levels and performance is intricate and subject to ongoing debate.
At the age of 32, Semenya expressed her readiness to chronicle her life experiences in a book. She acknowledged that dealing with inquiries regarding her gender during her early years had been challenging. She recounted the time when she was 18 years old and confronted scrutiny from World Athletics, previously known as the IAAF, within the pages of her book.
Semenya referred to the experience as a significant turning point in her life.
"At the age of 18, you are suddenly questioned about your femininity. Throughout your entire childhood, you have always identified as a woman, despite any physical disparities," she expressed.
However, I believe that what I needed to change was the feeling of humiliation, the unfair treatment, and the lack of respect from others.
For me, understanding my true self, my identity, and proudly showcasing that to represent my country held great significance.
Semenya said she would continue to "advocate for what is right" for womens sport, proof that one of the most dominant athletes of her time has not turned her back on the sport she loves quite yet.
