Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya says Sebastian Coe’s recent comments on gender classification have “opened old wounds”. Semenya has constantly been scrutinised over her gender ever since her breakthrough victory at the 2009 World Athletics Championships.
She is trying to fight the International Association of Athletics Federation over its bid to curb the testosterone levels in female athletes, with Semenya’s dominance in her disciplines cited as a potential sticking point.
Related:D’Tigers Star Uzoh Happy With Rapid Growth Of Nigerian Basketball
Coe, who is the president of the IAAF, said the rules had to be tightened up otherwise “no woman would ever win another title or another medal or break another record in our sport.” However, the gold medal winner at London 2012 and Rio 2016 has responded angrily to Coe’s suggestions, saying she has been scapegoated by the press.
A statement from her lawyers read: “The scars Ms Semenya has developed over the past decade run deep. “Reading the comments of Mr Coe this weekend opened those old wounds and the reference by the Daily Telegraph (Australia) to ‘the muscle-packed Semenya’ is just the latest illustration of how the issues have been distorted by innuendo. “Mr Coe is wrong to think Ms Semenya is a threat to women’s sport.”
