The 2012 Olympics is a few days away and in the coming days, I'll be sharing the stories of some phenomenal athletes competing at London 2012. We kick things off with Caster Semenya, a 21 year old South African athlete from South Africa's Northern Limpopo province.
The world watched as Semenya was robbed of the chance to celebrate winning her first world championship. Semenya who was 18 at the time, claimed the 800m title in a time surprisingly faster than her first major international meet. She was then subjected to invasive and embarrassing gender tests due to her physique and time improvements.
The IAAF cleared Semenya to compete as a woman, and after an 11 month IAAF imposed break from competition, she has returned to the tracks. She will be South Africa's flag bearer at the opening ceremony of London 2012 on the July 27th. She also heads into the Olympics as one of South Africa's best medal chances. She is currently coached by her idol Maria Mutola, whom Semenya describes as a "taskmaster".
For more on Caster Semenya's story, check out "Too Fast to Be a Woman". A documentary about Semenya released in 2010.
It has taken 3 turbulent years to get the Olympics, and we wish her the best of luck.
The world watched as Semenya was robbed of the chance to celebrate winning her first world championship. Semenya who was 18 at the time, claimed the 800m title in a time surprisingly faster than her first major international meet. She was then subjected to invasive and embarrassing gender tests due to her physique and time improvements.
For more on Caster Semenya's story, check out "Too Fast to Be a Woman". A documentary about Semenya released in 2010.
