A00059 - The Athletic Isolation of Caster Semenya
I am sure that most folks are not aware that the World Track and Field Championship is being held, for the first time on American soil, this week in Eugene, Oregon. For me, the Hayward Field venue is amazing and the performances have been scintillating. Some of the performances (the Ukrainian athletes, and the kid from Ashland University who placed third in the men's 400 meter hurdles) have been the most heartfelt. However, the saddest for me was watching the women's 5000 meter semifinals where the two time women's Olympic 800 meter champion Caster Semenya was relegated after being banned from performing in the 400, 800, or 1500 meter competitions because her testosterone levels were deemed too high for those events. By relegating Semenya to the longer distances, it was almost guaranteeing that she would fail... and she did.
In the year when a transgender woman became an NCAA swimming champion
only to be effectively banned after doing so,
I do not have a clue as to how these issues should be addressed. However, perhaps, there are some out there who do.
Peace,
Everett Jenkins
Fairfield, California
July 22, 2022
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