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.”
The Kansas City Chiefs wrapped up a brief visit to Brazil on Friday with a season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, but despite the defeat, the team outshone their divisional rivals in the fight for the hearts and minds of Brazilian fans. In Sao Paulo for just the second-ever NFL game in the city, Chiefs players — especially quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce — were treated as major celebrities throughout their stay, turning Corinthians Arena into a scene reminiscent of the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium. Before kickoff, crowds of fans gathered around the Chiefs’ tunnel, eager to catch a
New Zealand stayed firm at their Eden Park fortress to claim an attritional 24-17 win over South Africa in a heavyweight clash between the world’s top two rugby sides yesterday. Under pressure after conceding a first-ever defeat on Argentine soil against the Pumas two weeks ago, the All Blacks responded with a performance of grit and discipline to stretch their unbeaten run at their Auckland stronghold to 51 matches. Two well-taken tries by Emoni Narawa and Will Jordan set up a 14-3 lead at halftime before Quinn Tupaea grabbed a third five-pointer for the hosts 13 minutes from time. Well-held for most of
The Wallabies trusted their instincts to keep pushing for a late try instead of a potential equalizing penalty goal late in their Rugby Championship Test match yesterday against Argentina, with prop Angus Bell scoring the clinching try in the sixth minute of added time to give Australia a comeback 28-24 win. The Wallabies were awarded three kickable penalties after the 80th minute, but kept pushing in search of the match-winning try, which was finally delivered by an unlikely hero in reserve prop Bell. “It’s just relieving,” Bell said. “It’s just awesome we could get the win in the end; not go for
RETURN TO FORM: Osaka extended her deepest run in a Grand Slam since returning to tennis after giving birth, putting her in a position to lift the trophy for a third time Reigning champion Jannik Sinner on Wednesday marched into the US Open quarter-finals as Amanda Anisimova avenged her Wimbledon thrashing by Iga Swiatek to set up a last-four clash with Naomi Osaka. World No. 1 Sinner swept aside 10th seed Lorenzo Musetti 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in the first all-Italian men’s quarter-final in Grand Slam history. “It was a great performance, very solid. I started the match very well,” said Sinner, who faces Canadian 25th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semi-finals today. Auger-Aliassime has won two of three previous meetings, but Sinner thrashed him for the loss of just two games in Cincinnati last month. “Every
RSS