Christine Mboma knows the faster she runs the clearer her advantages with difference in sex development becomeChristine Mboma runs the 200 metres like no other elite sprinter in history. Her start is sluggish. Her drive phase needs work. But then her legs begin to whirr … and suddenly whoosh! One, two, three, four opponents are picked off. At the Olympics she flew from fifth with 50m left to win a silver medal. Last week she also added the Diamond League title in an Under-20 world record of 21.78 sec. What makes the 18-year-old’s achievements remarkable, aside from her age, is that she only began focusing on the 200m in July.Given time, and better technique, Florence Griffith Joyner’s world record of...
From Semenya’s 30th win in a row, to powerful displays at Wembley, on bikes and in cars, women cast a blow against outdated attitudesThey may have failed to knock the Premier League title race completely out of the headlines, but whether they were pedalling into a 40mph block headwind on the Yorkshire coast, racing around the Hockenheimring, commanding primetime live coverage of their FA Cup final, or – in the shape of Caster Semenya and a woman who broke a marathon record dressed as a nurse – asking questions about gender distinctions, sportswomen had an extraordinary weekend. Related: Desiré Wilson believes the new W Series could propel a woman into Formula One Related: Caster Semenya is a victim of rules...
The South African’s challenge to the IAAF’s testosterone rules could be as profound and far-reaching as the Bosman rulingIt is just one case, brought by just one athlete, against a single organisation. But Caster Semenya’s challenge to the IAAF’s testosterone rules for female athletes, which begins on Monday at the court of arbitration for sport, may yet be as far-reaching and profound as the Bosman ruling.It is not only that the court holds the career of the brilliant Olympic 800m champion in its hands. That, alone, is a weighty enough responsibility. But it also knows that its ruling, which will be announced next month, will be pored over by other organisations trying to wade through the murky waters where gender,...
The case is complex but demanding some female athletes lower their testosterone levels was a big call, yet seems to be a debatable conclusion to reach based on a questionable studyThey say there are six tics that tell you when someone’s bluffing. When it comes to Caster Semenya and the IAAF, here’s a seventh. Be wary of anyone who says it’s all straightforward. The Semenya case isn’t just about sport, or sex, or gender, but ethics, politics, culture, race, and science. Expert opinion is split. Which is why the arguments have been going back and forth for the best part of a decade, and the case now seems bound to return to the court of arbitration for sport, where they...