‘I was wrong about Caster,’ says former Semenya competitor
Aussie athlete admits her condemnation was based on ignorance
London — Caster Semenya seems to have as many enemies as friends in her fight against athletics’ officials attempts to rob her of her natural advantage in the cause of protecting less endowed competitors. But one of her former detractors‚ who is among the many opponents Semenya has left in her wake on the track‚ now counts herself as an ally of the South African. Madeleine Pape represented Australia in the 800m at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, where she encountered Semenya. “In 2009 I watched the women’s 800m final from the stands as Semenya crossed the finish line more than 2sec clear of the pack‚” Pape wrote in an article published by the Guardian on Wednesday. “At the time‚ it was by far the path of least resistance for me to join the chorus of voices condemning her performance as ‘unfair’.” The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) concurred with that view on Wednesday‚ dismissing Semenya’s appeal against the International Associati...
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