South African Female 800m Runner Faces Gender Test, Could Be Disqualified

Caster Semenya has the fastest time in the world this year.

Reports are surfacing that South African 800m runner Caster Semenya has been forced to undergo a gender test to see if she is in fact a woman. The young South African has run the fastsest time in the world this year, 1:56.72. She easily won the women’s 800m final at the world championships in Berlin, Germany.

If her test proves she is not a female she will be disqualified from the competition. The issue at hand is a true gender test is very complicated and can take a long time to produce results. For a more in depth look at the issues here please check out The Science of Sport blog linked below, they are actually scientists and can explain the issues far better than I ever could.

For More: The Science of Sport