This archive report was first published on 6 September 2019.
South African athlete Caster Semenya, a two-time Olympic gold medallist, is trading her track shoes for football cleats. Published on September 6, 2019, she has joined the Johannesburg-based JVW club, marking a new chapter in her athletic career.
Although Semenya cannot play until next year due to the registration deadline for this season having closed, she is already training with the team and expressing her enthusiasm for the new journey.
“I am looking forward to this new journey -- I appreciate the love and support I already get from the team,” Semenya said on the club website.
Janine van Wyk, the national women's team captain and namesake of the club, welcomed Semenya to the team, stating she was “thilled Caster had chosen to join her team”.
Semenya's decision to join the JVW club follows in the footsteps of Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, who trained with an Australian club after retiring but did not secure a contract.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) ruled earlier this year that females with differences of sexual development, like Semenya, have a competitive advantage, leading to the ban on competing in certain races unless they take testosterone-reducing medication. Semenya refused to comply, winning a legal battle that allowed her to compete in 800m races, but a Swiss court later overruled the decision, forcing her to miss the upcoming world championships in Qatar.
