Caster Semenya.Photo:Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
Caster Semenya, the two-time Olympic gold medalist from South Africa, has won a legal battle over a discriminatory rule that said she needed to lower her testosterone to run in competitions.The European Court of Human Rights found that the 32-year-old middle distance runner was “a victim of discrimination on the ground of sex and also sexual characteristics,” it said ina press releaseTuesday morning announcing its ruling.The International Association of Athletics Federations had previously required Semenya to take hormone treatment to decrease her natural testosterone level in order to compete in international competitions. The organization first made Semenya take sex verification tests in 2009 when she was 18 years old.
“It made me sick, made me gain weight, panic attacks. I didn’t know if I was ever going to have a heart attack,” Semenya said about the medication during an interview withHBO Real Sportslast year. “It’s like stabbing yourself with a knife every day. But I had no choice. I’m 18, I want to run. I want to make it to [the] Olympics, that’s the only option for me. But I had to make it work.”
Caster Semenya.PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty Images
PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty Images
The three-time world champion said the medication “tortured me” and she later refused to take it, resulting in the IAAF banning her from 400-meter and 800-meter competitions. Semenya hasn’t run an 800m race at a major event since 2019, which also prevented the track star from defending her title at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Caster Semenya.RODGER BOSCH/AFP via Getty Images
RODGER BOSCH/AFP via Getty Images
The overturned ruling says the Swiss government needs to pay 60,000 euros — or about $66,000 — to the runner, who has now lost four years of her career. The IAAF, now known as World Athletics, said it planned to encourage Switzerland to appeal Tuesday’s ruling, according toThe Associated Press.
The Paris Olympics are currently 13 months away, kicking off at the end of July 2024. Semenya last won gold in 2019 at the South African Championships in both the 5,000-meter and 1,500-meter competitions.
source: people.com
