Caster Semenya

Caster Semenya

Caster Semenya at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Nationality	South African
Born	(1991-01-07) 7 January 1991 (age 26) Pietersburg (now Polokwane)
Residence	South Africa
Alma mater	North-West University
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	70 kg (150 lb)
Sport
Sport	Running
Event(s)	800 metres, 1500 metres
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	400m: 50.40 800m: 1:55.28 1500m: 4:01.99
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  South Africa Olympic Games 2016 Rio de Janeiro 800 m 2012 London 800 m World Championships 2009 Berlin 800 m 2011 Daegu 800 m All-Africa Games 2015 Brazzaville 800 m African Championships 2016 Durban 800 m 2016 Durban 1500 m 2016 Durban 4x400 m relay

External video

"Too Fast to Be a Woman The Story of Caster Semenya", Maxx Ginane

"Dorcas and Caster Semenya", P&G

Mokgadi Caster Semenya Bronze OIB (born 7 January 1991) is a South African middle-distance runner and 2016 Olympic gold medallist. Semenya won gold in the women's 800 metres at the 2009 World Championships with a time of 1:55.45 in the final. Semenya also won silver medals at the 2011 World Championships and the 2012 Summer Olympics, both in the 800 metres. She was the winner of the gold medal in the 800 metre event at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Following her victory at the 2009 World Championships, it was announced that she had been subjected to gender testing. She was withdrawn from international competition until 6 July 2010 when the IAAF cleared her to return to competition. In 2010, the British magazine New Statesman included Semenya in a list of "50 People That Matter 2010".

Semenya was born in Ga-Masehlong, a village in South Africa near Polokwane (previously called Pietersburg), and grew up in the village of Fairlie, deep in South Africa's northern Limpopo province. She has three sisters and a brother. Semenya attended Nthema Secondary School and now attends the University of Pretoria as a sports science student. She began running as training for soccer.

In July Semenya participated in the 2008 World Junior Championships, and won the gold in the 800 m at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games with a time of 2:04.23.

In the African Junior Championships Semenya won both the 800 m and 1500 m races with the times of 1:56.72 and 4:08.01 respectively. With that race she improved her 800 m personal best by seven seconds in less than nine months, including four seconds in that race alone. The 800 m time was the world leading time in 2009 at that date. It was also a national record and a championship record. Semenya simultaneously beat the Senior and Junior South African records held by Zelda Pretorius at 1:58.85, and Zola Budd at 2:00.90, respectively.