Villagers welcomed home world track champion Caster Semenya on Friday, refusing to let questions about her gender dampen their celebration amid the mudwalled, thatch-roofed homes of her poor village in northern South Africa.
The tensions of the previous 10 days seemed to melt away for the 18-year-old as she broke into a dance alongside a house in Ga-Masehlong, where many live without electricity or indoor plumbing. Children mobbed her.
Hours before Semenya won the 800m women’s world championship in Germany on Aug. 19, international track officials announced that gender tests had been initiated, and results are still awaited.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Semenya’s muscular build, husky voice and stunning times had led some to question whether she should be competing in women’s events.
Relatives and neighbors in Ga-Masehlong marveled at what she has achieved since leaving the village, located 300km north of Johannesburg.
Attlee Maponyane, president of the provincial track and field authority, looked at the flat scrubland surrounded Ga-Masehlong and marveled: “Did you see where Caster trained?”
As a brass band struck up a tune, children from the primary school Semenya once attended raced down a dirt road to join in the celebrations in a tent set up in her father’s packed-dirt yard.
Julia Ngoepe, 12, said she wanted to be a champion one day too.
“First, I have to go to school, and run a lot, so that I can be like her,” she said.
Authorities pulled out all the stops in welcoming their star home.
About 300 students formed a blue-uniformed honor guard when Semenya arrived in a van escorted by police cars, their sirens nearly drowned out by the band and the cheering children.
Semenya, dressed in a black T-shirt and jacket and dark jeans, emerged from the van holding her grandmother’s hand. Two hours of speeches and songs followed. At one point, her seven-month-old niece Gauta was passed to her, and she sat at the head table cuddling the child on her lap.
Local entrepreneurs gave her a laptop and promised to help fund her education. Municipal officials say a nearby stadium will be renamed for her.
Children stopped playing to listen as their hero made brief remarks toward the end of the ceremony.
“I don’t know what to say,” Semenya said. “But I’m very happy. Thank you.”
Motalane Monakedi, mayor of the region that includes Ga-Maselong, said he hoped the “gifts and the love” would inspire Semenya to even greater success.
“We need to celebrate her achievements, especially as she is one of our own,” he said. “She grew up in these villages where she had to walk many kilometers to fetch wood and to fetch water. Still, she managed to rise against these odds. Nothing can stop you if you are determined — and you work very, very hard.”
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their
RSS