Gender Questioned Caster Semenya Gets to Keep Gold Medal

"Is she really a she?" We all remember how that question was widely debated after South African runner, Caster Semenya, won the gold in the women's 800-meters at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin in August. The rumors that started because some thought the athlete looked -- and ran, more like a man, subsequently put the gold medal in jeopardy. But Semenya's native sports ministry just announced that, yes indeed, she will be able to keep the medal.

In a statement on their web site, the South African Ministry of Sports and Recreation stated, "Because Caster has been found to be innocent of any wrong, she will retain her gold medal, retain her title of 800m World Champion and retain her prize money."

The ministry asked people to respect their decision. "We have also agreed with the IAAF that whatever scientific tests were conducted legally within the IAAF regulations will be treated as a confidential matter between patient and doctor. As such there will be no public announcement of what the panel of scientists has found. We urge all South Africans and other people to respect this professional ethical and moral way of doing things."

They also urged people to respect the young runner's privacy. "The implications of the scientific findings on Caster's health and life going forward will be analyzed by Caster and she will make her own decision on her future. Whatever she decides, ours is to respect her decision."

The IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) was criticized after the ministry reported they were unhappy with the way Semenya's genetic testing was handled. While they refuse to take any responsibility for the release of her personal information -- reports in two newspapers in September said the results of the tests showed Semenya has both male and female characteristics -- the IAAF has declined to confirm those reports. They did apologize by saying, "It is deeply regrettable that information of a confidential nature entered the public domain."

In one of her only public statements, the 18-year-old runner told You Magazine, "God made me the way I am and I accept myself. I am who I am and I'm proud of myself."

Semenya came under attack after winning the 800-meter race in an astonishingly fast one minute, 55 second time -- the fastest women's time in the world this year. Like other exceptional athletes who have been under fire after an outstanding performance, one has to wonder: If she didn't win, would she have received all of this attention? And, is that attention really about her looks, or is it more about her competitors not wanting to believe she could run so fast?

People didn't think Derartu Tulu could run quite so fast either, but look what she did.