Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™ LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

Semenya not thrilled about golden upgrade

The latest chapter in the controversial career of Caster Semenya has seen her ready to be upgraded to a London Olympic gold medal.

Caster Semenya's coach says she is not excited about the prospect of having her 2012 Olympic and 2011 world championships 800m silver medals upgraded to gold in the wake of Mariya Savinova-Farnosova's doping ban.

Russian Savinova-Farnosova was stripped of her titles on Friday when the Court of Arbitration for Sport imposed a four-year ban, saying there was "clear evidence" she used performance-enhancing drugs.

Semenya finished second behind the Russian in both Daegu in 2011 and London 2012 and is now set to become a double Olympic champion after her victory in Rio de Janeiro last year.

"I spoke to her and we both agree - it's not the same," Jean Verster told South African media on Sunday.

"We weren't there on the podium and there was no national anthem so it's kind of water under the bridge for us.

"It's not the same feeling as it was in the Rio Olympics last year. It is nice to know they are catching the cheats five years down the line, though, but it's nothing to get excited about for us."

Semenya, 26, has had to contend with controversy throughout her career.

After winning the 2009 world title as a 19-year-old, tests reportedly revealed that she is hyperandrogenous, resulting in her body producing an abnormally high amount of testosterone, which makes her more powerful than her rivals.

An International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) rule limiting the amount of naturally occurring functional testosterone for female athletes appeared to have restricted Semenya's prospects but that rule was then quashed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Savinova is the latest in a growing list of Russian athletes to have past Olympic medals taken away over doping, as the nation struggles to overcome its most widespread doping scandal.


2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Watch now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world