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.”

No, the World athletics policy ruling excludes CAIS because of a lack of male puberty. The conditions and criteria are clear.

So an XY male with a clear diagnosis of CAIS would be able to race as a woman? That seems sensible, if so. Presumably noone would need to know either as they'd present entirely typically female.

What about PAIS?

I suspect that in the future that CAIS athletes will also be excluded. They are known to have some genetic advantages, skeletal proportions is one I believe. Obviously that includes height.

They are reported to be over represented in female sport. So I suspect studies will be done and these athletes may have to be excluded too.

Yes I think you're probably right. Sad for them but we need to protect women's sports.

If there’s any virilisation from male puberty, PAIS athletes are excluded.

CAIS athletes are currently exempt from the policy, with a lack of data the issue. Athletes with CAIS are likely over represented at elite level, but lack of real numbers, analysis of each sport they’re in, results etc makes it hard to establish advantage.

If, for example, all the CAIS athletes at the Olympics are evenly distributed across all the sports and don’t win medals disproportionately, then an incidence higher than the population incidence probably doesn’t matter.

But if all the CAIS athletes are concentrated in one sport or one event then advantage may be easier to see.

In order to study this athletes in women’s competitions would have to be willing to be tested. It’s likely the elite CAIS athletes already know they have CAIS because they will have never had a period, ever (I don’t believe they’ll be labouring under the false belief their primary amenorrhoea is due to training excess). So it will require CAIS athletes to risk contributing to their own exclusion.

You can tell from Caster’s stride CS wasn’t running full out. The 800m is known as the hardest race in all of track (maybe 400h as well.) It’s the only race where you ideally positive split - you’re running slower the second lap because you literally go out hard and then die to the finish line. So at the end of an 800 by the nature of the race you are completely gassed and losing momentum and just holding on. Look at Caster jogging casually to the line and you can tell that’s not all out effort. The stride is also distinctly male.

Yes, Semenya definitely runs within limits. Look at the top 25 all time 800m times. Semenya has many of them and there are only 3 athletes faster: two Eastern European communist era athletes and an exceptional Kenyan athlete who is female (has 3 children!) Semenya never ran a race where it was a fight to the line and a dip, like we saw in the recent Olympics.

When Semenya ran the 800m PB it was a time of 1.54.25. The athlete who came 2nd was…Francine Niyonsaba, also male, in a time of 1.56.86. Third was Ajee Wilson, an actual female, in a time of 1.57.11.

The world record is 1.53.28 set by a suspected doper. Could Semenya have found an extra second somewhere if pushed or if desired? Absolutely. I think it was deliberate to not make the advantage too obvious; run faster than a highly suspected doper and what does that say?

But Caster isn't female. Plus there is good evidence (old photos) that she was raised as a boy until it was convenient to be female for sporting purposes.

I did historically feel sorry for Caster, but not now. Caster knew they were male and shouldn’t be competing with female athletes but did anyway.

I remember watching that 800m race in 2016 when I was still broadly pro Caster with my autistic (no filter) son, then aged 7 who quite innocently asked “if this is the women’s race why are men in it” - out of the mouths of babes huh

in fairness, Kratochvílová's 800m world record is tremendously strong. by the looks of her back in those days, she wasn't just taking 'some' performance enhancing drugs but was rather personally responsible for a hefty slice of global consumption. someone upthread mentioned that the 800m is tiring, at the end of her record run Kratochvílová looked like she could at that instant have picked up a javelin or whatever and hurled it a world class distance, probably in the middle of putting in a very respectable time for the 100 metres hurdles.

@NotBadConsidering That’s excellent! Write the book!
There is no doubt whatsoever that CS is male with a DSD.

Yes, but Semenya was only a second slower and never once had to be picked up off the floor in exhaustion. Look at the race when that PB was set. Even Niyonsaba was grimacing to hold on in the home stretch. The gap to the first woman is huge and Semenya looks comfortable. Watch how the others have their hands on hips while Semenya celebrates. Watch the replay at 3.54 as Semenya crosses the line and it’s clearly not someone who is pushing themselves to the limit to try and break a decades old world record. With a pacer (allowed in Diamond League) and a faster first lap, the record would have gone.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oFHNYMQ7IhI&pp=ygUUQ2FzdGVyIHNlbWVueWEgcGFyaXM%3D

No one is talking about the children themselves but if they were fathered by CS (ie using CS’s sperm from their testes) then there’s your answer. It’s acutely relevant.

I think a very few people with CS's condition have fathered children using their own sperm (obviously none could ever mother children using their own eggs since they don't have any) but I should think it'd be a difficult process with a low success rate. CS has wisely not gone public on this and I don't expect her to.

@NotBadConsidering that video is striking. Agreed - a long way off full effort.

I assume the decision to wear a tshirt (everyone else is in singlets/bras only) is about disguising the male physique?

Great post, @Misstache

Utterly shameless of CS to publish a book. I suppose all the prize money wasn't enough?
The media will no doubt keep up the pretence, including those who know and are against male inclusion in women's sport. I have noticed a bizarre unwillingness among these commentators to say unequivocally that CS is male - they mention testes and puberty, but still leave the impression that Semenya is a female with an unfortunate disability.

I'm going to strongly disagree with those who are advocating for CAIS males to be in women's sport, either in general or on a case-by-case basis.

First of all - case-by-case decisions are messy and unfair and cruel to the athlete.

How would we assess their suitability for inclusion in the female category?
On the basis of how feminine they look? That would be demeaning and sexist.
I also suspect, though I have no medical knowledge, that PAIS is a spectrum. What about edge cases? How could you justify rejecting a male with a tiny bit of sensitivity as compared to one with no sensitivity at all (CAIS)? Rules have to be clear and capable of consistent application.

So do we decide each case on the basis of how close they are to female performance or strength parameters? That would encourage under-performance to get into an easier category. We have heard and seen this before. It's another version of "is this male impaired enough to compete with women?" It's insulting to women and girls.
Case by case decision-making is unworkable and unfair both to the male athlete and to the women competitors - categories in sport exclude classes of people, not individuals.

And as to general inclusion, it's also a resounding no from me. CAIS males are male - therefore they are excluded from the female category. They may not have full male advantage but they also don't have the issues women have around menstrual cycles, childbirth, etc. If we include the odd CAIS male, we are back in the territory of men and non-men.

Additionally, it's a short step from a CAIS male to a feminine-looking male who claims to be a woman and is on oestrogen and testosterone blockers. Inclusion of males with DSDs was the thin end of a wedge which forced males into female sport.

Having a DSD is the individual's cross to bear. Coming to terms with limitations on your life is a process which many people have to go through. Feeling sorry for males is not a reason to disadvantage women.

"For me it was a little bit different because I grew up with boys, everything was just all about boys. Girls, they were a little boring to me, because they're too soft."

@zibzibara
In fairness, quite a lot of girls say that kind of thing about other girls. It's more the physique and body language that screams male.

@ZeldaFighter
I'm not at all surprised you were taken in. There has been a very effective PR campaign with huge buy-in from sports journalists.

@BellaAmorosa that's true, but in the context of his selfish disregard of women athletes I think it says a lot about his attitude.

I think it’s about the physique but also about playing in peoples’ faces. Look at the flexing afterwards - CS knows they are male and is just flaunting to the women that they don’t even have to pretend to be a woman in any way and can get away with it. That’s why I don’t feel sorry for CS at all. They acted male on purpose to rub it in.

Is it wrong to say Cast-er Semen-ya - the clue's in the name? 😉

*him

Yes, I wonder whether Caster will mention how he came to impregnate his wife his their wife became pregnant?

Precisely.

Me, three!