Winning the 800-meter track event in Berlin was a happy moment for South African Caster Semenya, who became the focus of an international conversation over gender and sport. However, her competitors were not assuaged by the results.
Diane Cummins, who placed eighth in the event, said the International Associations of Athletic Federations should not have cleared Semenya, 19, to run after 11 months of testing proved she is biologically female and fit to compete against other women.
"Even if she is a female, she's on the very fringe of the normal athlete female biological composition from what I understand of hormone testing. So, from that perspective, most of us just feel that we are literally running against a man," Cummins said in the Telegraph (U.K.).
Italy's Elisa Cusma Piccione, who came in third place, simply said, "For me, she is a man."
Cummins and Britain's Jemma Simpson, who placed fourth, said that while they know they have to be diplomatic when talking about Semenya, the frustration over their competitor's high performance still exists.
Semenya took the lead in the last 100 meters in the race from Christin Wurth-Thomas of the U.S., clocking in at 1:59.90. Semenya said that she's only been training seriously for about a month and has not done any speed work since her hiatus.
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