Caster Semenya is one of the world's best 800m runners of all time with two Olympic gold medals and three World Championship golds, but was stopped in 2018 by the international athletics federation World Athletics (WA) due to high congenital testosteon values, which gave him a competitive advantage.
Since then, it has been a constant battle for Semenya for her cause. The 32-year-old has given up his sporting career.
"My last chance to win in the Olympics was in 2016 – Paris (2024) is not my goal. It's more about winning my battles against the authorities and fighting for what's right," Semenya said.
The South African can look back on a flawless sporting career – even though it was stopped prematurely because she was banned from competing unmedicated on distances between 400 metres and one mile (1,609 metres).
Won in the European Court of Human Rights
"In running, I've achieved everything I've ever wanted. They have never stopped me from being the great athlete I am. I went undefeated for four years, I've done my part," Semenya said.
As recently as this summer, the European Court of Human Rights (by a vote of 4-3) ruled in her favor after she had previously lost in both the International Court of Arbitration (CAS) and the Swiss Supreme Court. However, it was of no practical significance as WA retained its regulatory framework. Semenya wonders if she should go ahead with it.
Semenya points out that it is mainly black female activists who have been affected by WA's rules, that there is racism and discrimination at the bottom.
"There is no person with fair skin who is affected by the rules. It's just black women. That's the simple truth," she says.
Semenya appeared in the 5,000 metres at the World Championships in Eugene last year and was eliminated in the trial. This year she ran two races in South Africa in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters with modest results.