South African Olympic gold medallist, Caster Semenya, has joined a South African women’s football team.
The 28-year-old is unable to compete without taking testosterone-reducing drugs following a rule change by the IAAF, athletics’ governing body, ruling her out to defend her 800m World Championship title in Doha this month – though she is fighting the rule change through the courts.
The two-time Olympic gold winner is set to become a footballer and has resumed training with Gauteng-based women’s football club JVW.
The three-time world champion, who announced in July that she would not be defending her 800m world title, cannot start playing for JVW until the 2020 season, having joined outside the South African transfer window.
“I am looking forward to this new journey. I appreciate the love and support I already get from the team,” Semenya said.
National women’s team captain and owner of JVW, Janine van Wyk, said she was “thrilled Caster had chosen to join her team”.
“She’s had two training sessions with the team and you could see her football is there, but we still need obviously to work on her a little bit because it’s very different to track and field.
“She’s made it really clear to me that she’s not giving up running at all.
“It’s amazing for the football club. The recognition women’s football in South Africa will get is massive.
“To have her play in the league over here is incredible and I think young girls and her team-mates will draw a lot of inspiration from Caster.”
International athletics body the IAAF ruled this year that females like Semenya who have differences of sexual development have a competitive advantage.
It barred such athletes from competing in races between 400m and the mile unless they took testosterone-reducing medication.
Semenya refused and won a legal battle, enabling her to compete in 800m races, before a Swiss court overruled the decision, forcing her to miss the upcoming world championships in Qatar.
Semenya is not the first athlete to switch to football – after retiring in 2017, Usain Bolt trained with Norwegian club Stromsgodset and Australian side Central Coast Mariners, but did not secure a contract.
Semenya is also following in the footsteps of her former coach Maria Mutola, who also turned to football after athletics.
The IAAF introduced its rule change because it argues female athletes with differences of sexual development (DSD) – such as Semenya – have “a competitive advantage”.
Anthony Nlebem
