Caster Semenya (South Africa): For The Future of Women's Track

2x Olympic Gold Medalist and 3x World Champion, Caster Semenya has made headlines since winning the 800m at the 2009 World Athletics Championships at the age of 18, yet the media (and many of her fellow athletes) wouldn't gracefully acknowledge her generational talent for what it was, but rather started accusing her of being a man. This was news to Caster, someone who was born a woman and grew up a woman her whole life. Given her muscular build, speed, deep voice, and color, Caster didn't look like what many believed a woman "should" look like.
Wednesday is a landmark court case determining the future of women's track and field. For the last decade Caster has been fighting to compete without changing her natural body. The IIAF (formerly World Athletics) mandated that in order to compete she had to reduce her natural testosterone levels, which according to Caster, left her feeling "like the walking dead." To hear more of the backstory from Caster's perspective, check out our season 1 episode elevating Caster right before the Tokyo Olympics. This Wednesday, May 15th, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is examining Caster's appeal against regulations requiring female athletes with high testosterone levels to take medication.
In our conversation Caster shares "Let's stop allowing people to give us a view or an opinion of how a woman should look like. You are born with your differences, I'm born with my differences...We need to celebrate one another." That is the world we are working towards with you, Caster.
______________________
Flame Bearers is a global storytelling platform, illuminating the unsung stories of resilient women Olympians & Paralympians that inspire people to drive change for themselves, in their connections with others, and their communities.
For more videos about women Olympians, subscribe to our KZbin channel ► / @flamebearers
Follow us -
Instagram - / flamebearers
Facebook - / flamebearerspodcast
Linkedin - / flame-bearers
OUR WEBSITE - flamebearers.com/
Leave a comment and tell us what you liked in the video.
If you like the content, do subscribe to our channel!

[@benjaminfranklin8412]

Calling a man a man is not hate, particularly when evaluating sports categories. Facts matter.

[@GoldenRatio003]

First and foremost, Caster is a male name. Next, is Caster a lesbian, because he went back home, put a tuxedo and married a female.

[@benjaminfranklin8412]

@@GoldenRatio003 Caster is a heterosexual man.

[@benjaminfranklin8412]

@GoldenRatio003 Caster is a heterosexual man with a difference in sexual development, sometimes crudely referred to as intersex. Describing someone as a heterosexual man is not hateful.

[@samsonvilakazi5909]

Come back caster

[@victorhopper6774]

maybe we are going about this wrong. maybe we should be handicapping according to testosterone levels. after all we do not have fly weights competing with super heavy weights. i bet her testosterone levels are higher than most men.

[@benjaminfranklin8412]

Caster is a man with a difference in sexual development. The women's category should exclude men.

[@AvaWs-fm1dw]

I don't want to hear his back story. This is a man. Please take him out of this women's athlete channel.

[@dashriprock3165]

She's old, old news. Just GO away!

[@benjaminfranklin8412]

Caster is a man with a difference in sexual development. The women's category should exclude men.