African Sports Monthly International Women's Day Special Edition | Page 44

Caster Semenya, Athletics - South Africa
She is a South African middledistance runner and world
champion. Semenya who won gold
in the women's 800 meters at the
2009 World Championships with a
time of 1:55.45 in the finals.
Semenya also won silver medals at
the 2011 World Championships
and the 2012 Summer Olympics,
in the 800 meters. Following her
victory at the 2009 World
Championships, it was announced
that she had been subjected to
gender testing. She was withdrawn
from international competition
until 6th July 2010 when the IAAF
cleared her to return to
competition. In 2010, the British
Magazine New Statesman
included Semenya in a list of "50
people that mattered in 2010"
Essentially, the rise of women’s

influence in sport is about
confidence. All areas of sporting
life from players, administrators,
lawyers, agents to politicians,
campaigners, designers,
sportswriters and broadcasters, once the uncompromising fiefdom of masculinity, have boldly
opened up to women who are bold enough to step into those roles.