Caster: Can she win again?

Will Caster Semenya ever win a major championship medal again? That will be the question that will finally answer all the other questions that still hang over the head of South Africa’s most infamous athlete.

As government officials shouted ‘vindication’ and South Africans rightly rallied around her, it has become clear that the case of Caster has been an emotional one, not a logical one.

There have been accusations that Caster was simply ‘targetted’ by the IAAF, the world controlling body for the sport of athletics, because she is black, and have deliberately held out on making a decision on her because of some sort of conspiracy.

I can assure you that it is unlikely to be the case. The IAAF have no reason to hold out on Semenya and it is almost certain that the only reason why the case has taken so long to resolve is because there has been some sort of medical intervention.

When the issue of Semenya’s gender first hit the headlines a year ago during the world athletics championships in Berlin, it was clear that tests had been carried out on her to establish whether she suffered from an intersex condition. An intersex condition, in simple terms, is where a person is born with a mixture of male or female traits. In the case of Semenya it is clear that she is seemingly more male.

Although it is conjecture, it is likely that Semenya had a level of testosterone only found in males. The reasons for that could have been the presence of internal testes and in the past year those testes could either have been removed or the high testosterone could have been treated with hormones.

Even the best medical minds are divided on the subject. Runner’s World scientific editor Ross Tucker believes that Semenya did undergo some sort of medical treatment, while Professor Tim Noakes – arguably SA’s most notable running mind – vehemently disagreed with that assumption when we were both were guests on a radio talk show earlier this week.

The fact is we may never know the truth behind Semenya, although one ASA official has already admitted that some medical treatment was given to Semenya in the past year. The reason why neither the IAAF or Semenya need never fully explain what has happened is a simple matter of doctor-patient privilege. Quite simply, Caster’s case is a medical one and we, as the public, have no right to that information.

So, for the moment, no one can really know what has gone on with Caster in the last year. But it is likely that we will eventually know the answer.

Having won the world 800m title last year in one of the fastest times in history, it is clear that the old Caster was in a class of her own. However, if rumours of medical treatment or hormonal treatment are true, we are almost sure to see a dip in her performances.

Couple that with a year of non-activity, the pressure of constant scrutiny and the lack of resources available to her, and Semenya has a doubtful future.

For the moment, Semenya deserves our support. There is little doubt that the speculation around her over the past year was both traumatic and distasteful and I, for one, hope she will come back as good as she was when this dreadful saga started.

Sadly, it seems unlikely she will and the case of Caster may well go down in history as one of the saddest moments in world athletics.

What do you think?

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To read up about all the controversary and surrounding Caster Semenya since her 800m in Berlin last August, click here