'I was doing it for haters'- Caster Semenya speaks on her achievements

ATHLETICS 'I was doing it for haters'- Caster Semenya speaks on her achievements

Abigael Wafula 12:00 - 05.11.2023

Caster Semenya has noted that she won all her gold medals just to prove her haters wrong since she was never happy in her whole career.

Caster Semenya has been making headlines recently after releasing her memoir, The Race To Be Myself, where she shares some of her untold truths.

The South African made her first appearance on the global stage at 18, where she won the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, Germany and that is where trouble began.

However, the 32-year-old did not look back and she continued with her passion despite being subjected to backlash and torture by World Athletics. She explained that she was forced to take hormone suppression medication she was required to take for six years.

That did not dim her light and she went ahead to win the 2011 Daegu World Championships before winning the 2017 World Championships in London. She is also a two-time Olympic champion, titles she won during the 2012 Olympic Games and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

Speaking to ESPN, Semenya disclosed that she mostly wanted to win to prove the haters wrong. She also dedicated her medals and wins to her family and the people who supported her throughout her track career.

“It’s hard to explain what my Olympic medals mean to me because all through my career nothing made me happy.

The gold medals to me were a token of appreciation to my people for being there for me and believing in me. But for me, it was something that defined my greatness, success, and the resilience in me to showcase my talent regardless of what.

All the medals I had to win under scrutiny so for me, I was doing it for the haters and those people who criticised me with claims that I was not a woman enough. I wanted to show them that they couldn’t drag me down and they would just keep talking,” Semenya said.

Follow the Pulse Sports Kenya WhatsApp Channel for more news. 

She explained that she did not enjoy her success after 18 because she wanted to prove herself to the haters.

“When they keep hating, they build me. They make me the greatest because if you look at the women’s 800m, I’m number one and I’m the greatest of our generation.

Maybe if I was not questioned, I could not have won all the medals and achieved such great milestones,” she said.

She also noted that World Athletics should start accepting who people are and they should start by knowing themselves.

“They should treat people with respect…stop discriminating people and stop the racism. They should get a life…they are building me, guiding me, and making me the best version of myself. They should find themselves first,” she said.