Women’s 800m race will never be the same

By Omulo Okoth

The women’s 800m race will never be the same again. This is after the World athletics ruling body IAAF, in its wisdom, early this month allowed South Africa’s controversial world champion Caster Semenya to race again.

Her first race was a low-key meeting in Finland, in a back-water town called Lappeenranta, where Semenya, supposedly a junior athlete, sauntered to victory in the two-lap race in a respectable two minutes, 4.22 seconds, nine seconds slower than her gold medal time in Berlin last summer, but described by the Finnish media as "a great achievement for a woman whose career had been in limbo for almost a year."

A FeverPitch reader in Kisii was so infuriated that he made a call to Yours Truly to wonder why the IAAF made such a decision.

"This is not a woman, bwana Okoth. Did you watch the race?" asked an angry Ezra Odhiambo on telephone. I was also watching the race, given the hype it was given in the European media.

Semenya was completely in control of the race and there is no doubt that she will overrun everybody in all races she will be in. She has returned with a vengeance.

Huge controversy

Semenya has caused so much controversy in the women’s two-lap race which Kenya’s Pamela Jelimo and Janeth Jepkosgei turned into a Kenyan event in 2008, in more or less the same way their male kindred has done with the 3,000m steeplechase over the years.

Her coach quit in a huff. South Africa Athletics was blamed for ignoring some tests done on her earlier just because of a win-at-all-costs drive.

But I must hasten to add that I am not bitter with Semenya because she upstaged the two Kenyan girls’ imperious performances over the race. Neither am I saying the South African is neither a man nor a woman. I don’t know what she is, but from reports generated by her victory last year, her absence from the sport would restore calm and dignity to the mother of all sports.

Leaked report

Even before she won the 800m in Berlin last August, speculation over her sex had reached crescendo following a leaked report which forced the IAAF to confess that it had been monitoring her since the African Junior Championships in Mauritius a month earlier.

As soon as she won the race that day, with the fastest 800m time of the year, Semenya was not even allowed to do a lap of honour. She was whisked away and hidden from the world. It was a big embarrassment to the athletics world. South African politicians turned the heat on IAAF, accusing the world body of insensitivity, even racism.

Some athletes were scornful, others were more sympathetic. Then a leaked report came from Australia, which said Semenya was a hermaphrodite.

It was reported she would not be allowed in IAAF-sanctioned races, although her world gold medal would not be taken away, until her matter was cleared. Now that she is back to her running ways, what explanation does the athletics world have? Were those leaked reports malicious? Will she sue for damages? No one can blame nature for making Semenya what she is.

After her victory in Finland, she sent a chilling message.

"The performance was pretty good, because after sitting at home for 11 months, to come back and run 2.04 is not easy, especially after what happened to me. So, yes, I’m pretty happy with it. I’m happy to get back to my normal thing – what I’ve been doing for three years," she told reporters.

From that easy victory, Semenya will not be beaten easily any time soon. She has snubbed the African Championships due to take place in Nairobi from July 28 to August 1. But few Kenyans will miss her.

My take is Semenya should have quit athletics quietly and honourably after causing such a huge storm in Berlin.

— The writer is The Standard Sports Editor

iomulo@standardmedia.co.ke