Custer Semenia is a famous athlete from the Republic of South Africa who prefers to perform at distances of 800 and 1500 meters. In 2012 and 2016 she became the winner of the Olympic Games, twice won the World Cup at a distance of 800 meters. It is noteworthy that Semenya received the title of the winner of the Olympic Games in London after the finishing Maria Savinova was disqualified due to the use of doping.
Career
Caster Semenia was born on January 9, 1991. She was born in South African Petersburg. In 2008, the heroine of our article became a student in the sports department of the University of Pretoria. Then she began to take active part in international athletics competitions, almost immediately winning the distance in 800 meters at the Commonwealth Youth Games.
In 2009, Caster Semenia's photo appeared in many South African sports publications when she won the African Junior Athletics Championships. The runner won two gold medals at once - at distances of 800 and 1500 meters, respectively. Especially in the 800 meter race, she showed outstanding results, setting a national record among adults and showing the best result of the season worldwide. At the same time, runner Caster Semenia improved her previous achievements insignificantly.
In late summer 2009, the athlete won the first significant victory at the adult level. At the World Championships in Berlin, she won at a distance of 800 meters, again showing the best time of the season. The distance obeyed her in one minute 55.45 seconds.
Coach change
After that, they started talking about Custer Semenya as one of the contenders for victory at the upcoming Olympic Games in London, which were supposed to take place three years later.
The runner began to prepare intensively for the main start of the four-year period. In 2011, she even changed her coach. Her new mentor was the titled runner from Mozambique, Maria Mutola, who, like the heroine of our article, broke into the elite of world sports as a teenager. Mutola specialized in 800 meters, winning silver at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, and then becoming champion four years later in Sydney.
True, experts noted that the change of coach turned out to be a very controversial decision, since Semenya was not able to win the World Championships in Korean Daegu Custer. Gold was won by Russian Maria Savinova, who came to the finish line half a second faster.
Olympics in London
At the same time, on the eve of the Olympics, the runner from the South African republic still decided not to make any impulsive decisions, going to London with Mutola.
In the qualification race, it was obvious that Semen did not give all his best, having overcome the 800-meter distance in more than two minutes. In her seven, she became the second after the American Alicia Montagno, which allowed Caster to get into the semifinals.
In the semifinals, Semenya came to the finish already in first place, showing a better result. She improved her qualification time by almost three seconds.
During the decisive start, it was obvious that the main rival of Semen, as a year ago in South Korea, would be Russian Maria Savinova. The fight between the athletes was literally to the last centimeters of the distance. As a result, the Russian woman was faster again. Savinova came to the finish in one minute 56.19 seconds, Semen was slower by one second and four hundredths. Large enough lag for such a distance.
However, after a few years, the results of the race were revised. In 2017, Savinova was deprived of a gold medal due to anti-doping rule violations. All results of the athlete for three years were canceled. The gold medal was awarded to a runner from South Africa.
Repeat success
In 2016, Semenya again arrived at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in the status of one of the favorites. Her main achievements over the past years have been victories at the African Games and the African Championship (here she won both 800 and 1,500 meters in the race).
At the Olympics in Brazil, Semenya already in qualification was able to “run out” of two minutes, becoming the first in her race. In the final, the African came first, breaking the distance in one minute 55.28 seconds, ahead of rivals from Burundi and Kenya.
Scandal
Almost immediately after the final, a scandal erupted, as many experts demanded to check the gender of all the winners because of the atypical features of their appearance for women.
Doubts about the honesty of the winners were expressed not only by journalists. For example, the Polish runner Joanna Yuzhvik, who finished fifth in the finals, also spoke about the need to conduct a test.
It was known that the South African National Committee had already conducted such an audit. The case was investigated for a very long time, but as a result, the athlete was still recognized as a woman.
An additional reason for the scandal was the news that two of their three athletes had previously entered into same-sex marriage with girls, having held traditional wedding ceremonies.
Personal life
Caster Semenia's wedding took place in 2015. She married a lover named Violet Rasseboy. It is known that marriage was concluded in the framework of the traditional ceremony, which is provided for heterosexuals. The relationship was officially formalized in the town of Ga Dikgale.
Photos from the wedding of Custer Semen immediately appeared in many world sports publications. It is known that the chosen one of the heroine of our article is her colleague in the national athletics team.
In particular, the details of the marriage were known. Semen behaved like a man in the traditions of his tribe, having paid a ransom of $ 1,700 for Violet.
Photos of the wedding of Custer Semen began to be discussed all over the world. At one time it was the most scandalous couple in love. Everyone discussed that Caster at the wedding ceremony appeared in the image of an oriental prince from fairy tales, and Violet preferred a classic white outfit.
Medical examination
A study on the gender of the athlete was conducted in 2009. The local federation was prompted by exceptional sports results.
According to Australian journalists, Semen turned out to be intersex. This is the name of a person who was born with sexual characteristics that did not meet the typical definition of a female or male body. Testicles were found in the athlete's body.
One of the evidence that Semen was not a woman was the absence in her appearance of typical features for the fairer sex. The results of gender tests nevertheless confirmed the right of runners to perform among women.
It became known that the features of her body are too high levels of male hormones.
In 2015, the Court of Arbitration for Sport considered the appeal of the Indian athlete Duty Chand, which required a medical correction. However, he was declared illegal.
Criticism
In the world of athletics, many were unsatisfied with these decisions by the very fact of Semen's performances. For example, Svetlana Cherkasova, the coach of the Russian modern pentathlon team, called the runner a one-day runner, whose star quickly lit up, just as quickly went out.
Separately, she emphasized that she considers it sad that the International Athletics Federation allowed her to speak. The South African, in her opinion, can only be called a mutant.