Caster Semenya Biography

[CaveMum]

Wonder how much misinformation will be in this book? The press release is already thick with hyperbole.

https://www.thebookseller.com/rights/merkybooks-strikes-gold-for-olympic-champion-semenyas-memoir

“Publisher Helen Conford and senior commissioning editor Lemara Lindsay-Prince acquired UK and commonwealth rights, excluding South Africa and Canada, for The Race To Be Myself, from Caspian Dennis and Rachel Clements at Abner Stein on behalf Peter McGuigan at Ultra Literary. It will publish 31st October 2023.

North American rights were won by Nneoma Amadi-obi at Norton and Simon Boughton at Norton Young Readers from Peter McGuigan at Ultra Literary. Southern African rights have been sold to Jeremy Boraine at Jonathan Ball Publishers. A young reader’s edition will be published by Puffin.

The publisher said: “Banned from competing in the sport she loved and trained her whole life for, Olympic and World Champion Caster Semenya is finally ready to share the vivid and heart-breaking story of how the world came to know her name.

Thrust into the spotlight at just 18 years old after winning the Berlin World Championships in 2009, Caster’s win was quickly overshadowed by criticism and speculation about her body, and she quickly became the centre of a debate which continues today about gender in sports, and the right to compete as you are.

“Told with captivating speed, immediate candour and the spirit of defiance, The Race to Be Myself is the journey of Caster’s years as an athlete in the public eye, and her private life behind closed doors. From her rural beginnings running free in the dust, to crushing her opponents in record time on the track; to the falsehoods spread about her by the press and sporting bodies, the legal trial she went through in order to compete, and the humiliation she has been forced to endure publicly and privately.”

Semenya said: “My life has had its struggles, but it has mostly been a joy. Through my example, I want to educate, enlighten and inform about how the world can welcome those born different. You may have heard some of my story over the years, and you might have seen me running or standing proudly on the podium at the Olympics. But there is still so much I need to relate about strength, courage, love, resilience and being true to who you are. I want this book to show people around the world how to do just that.”

Lindsay-Prince added: “I’ve always admired Caster Semenya’s journey as an extraordinary athlete and iconic activist, incredible pioneer and unfortunate pariah. Her fight to run as she is a race for respect, justice and ultimately everyone who has ever been told no and prevented from doing the thing they love.

"This book is her setting the record straight and owning her entire story. It’s unflinching in its honesty and empowering in its tone, and captures the full scope of her life – from a little girl running in the dust, to a record breaking athlete running to be free.”

And there goes the "they just didn't train hard enough" card.

He’s not coming across well, is he?

And all that crap about the post race celebrations “if you’ve been a hunter”.

Male.

Male.

Male.

castor is ducking the trans questions, no surprise there.

Late to the discussion, I was bimbling about in the bedroom sorting things out with the radio on low and my ears pricked up when I realised that it was a discussion about testosterone and women's sport... And I thought, who IS this very assertive/aggressive bloke sounding off about this...?

Whoops. My bad.

I see that it's a case of sporty women not trying hard enough, yet again. Train THROUGH that biological barrier, ladies!

Emma B did extremely well, didn't she? Thank god she's back on again.

Yes indeedy. Who knew it was sperm that makes the difference all along with that pesky old testosterone having nothing to do with it. No sperm , no male puberty advantage, thanks for clearing that one up Caster. Thank goodness You were here to put us all right and explain the science for us all, I do hope those real scientists with letters after their names were listening carefully.

Dontcha just know there was a shedload of manspreading going on in that studio, to perfectly match the belligerence, misogyny, aggression and constant interruption. It was an object lesson in How To Be A Man.

Well done Emma. You stuck to your guns, were polite, informed and allowed Caster enough rope to do the job himself.

Thankfully the Woman's Hour Twitter feed, and BBC Breakfast's, are full of women pointing out the facts in this case.

'They should have trained harder' is a bit rich coming from someone who had a reputation for not training hard at all.

Caster Semenya is totally free to feel whatever works for them but sport is about fact more than feel. I may feel like an athletic 26 year old but the fact is that I am a 57 year old pudding with the sporting prowess to match.

10,000 hour rule, innit.

after the first 5k hrs you grow your first bollock, then get the second once you get to 10k hrs. lazy old Lynsey Sharp never put the hours in.

It's very strange that there don't appear to be any reviews of this book on Amazon.
Just 5 'global ratings' ...
I have a feeling that Amazon may be deleting them.

Cannot believe how I fell for this narrative Caster is a woman with high testosterone. It was blatant and relentless during the 2012 & 2016 Olympics. He knew and the IAAF knew he was male, XY, with a DSD only males get. I feel so angry for the women he’s denied money and medals to.

Yes I went to look after I saw your post. It's very odd.

I am also not impressed that there is a version of the book coming out for kids. Not keen on indoctrination.

Oh good, so we’re into gaslighting children now?

Sadly yes :(

Astonishing

https://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/67367157

Good grief - that article is a mess!

You’re left thinking that Semenya is some kind of poor unfortunate male / female mix rather than a male with ambiguous external genitalia and internal testes.

Terrible, isn't it?

Yes - you’re left thinking that Semenya is “female with naturally high testosterone levels” rather than the reality - ie “male with completely normal testosterone levels”.

We all need to keep complaining until the BBC actually publishes the truth, this is a male with underdeveloped penis and / or testes.

I complained and the article has been updated - it no longer describes Semenya and the others as “female athletes” but it still avoids saying that the DSD regulations affect only those males with DSDs that want to enter the female events.

It still says
It was later revealed that the 32-year-old was born with differences of sexual development (DSD) which mean she has an elevated level of testosterone - a hormone that can increase muscle mass and strength.
This is just not true, you'd never describe a man as having "elevated testosterone"! We are being gaslit by the BBC, they are lying.

Yes, I know.

I pointed out that Semenya has a DSD that only male people have, that his testosterone levels are in the normal range for males and as such that the use of the term hyperandrogenism is misleading.

It’s still a shit article but at least it doesn’t keep saying Semenya is a female.

Appreciate this is an old thread but is there any evidence of people with this disorder being specifically scouted for the unfair advantage? I was talking to my son about this last night and he wanted to know where I’d got the information from. I can find mention of it on here but no direct source? Can anyone help?

Yes, it's been discussed on Mumsnet before, but one of the South African scouts/ coaches was testosterone specialist Ekkart Arbeit (spelling?) who has a controversial history and accusations of steroid abuse in East Germany.

Janice Turner repeats it so I wonder if a question to her on TwiX might clarify the source?

Undoubtedly living in this ambiguous state in countries like South Africa or Algeria with rigid gender roles and violent homophobia is a tough fate. Such people have found refuge in women’s sport where, unsurprisingly, they have excelled. African coaches began deliberately scouting for DSD males to train for high-level female competition, since after 2000 they even had a shot at Olympic gold.

archive.is/cRwr7

Thanks both.