Caster Semenya biography and net worth

• Caster Semenya is a South African middle-distance runner with two Olympic gold medals. She is an intersex woman. 
• Semenya is known for her signature celebration of brushing her shoulders after a win to dismiss the scrutiny into her life. 
• Semenya has a net worth of between $1 million and $5 million. 

Caster Semenya is one of the most elite African athletes. The South African middle-distance runner has won two gold Olympic medals. 

Semenya has the nickname Cobra because she is a dangerous competitor who always targets victory. The 31-year-old athlete is known for her signature celebration of brushing her shoulders after a win. The celebration is a way of dismissing the intense scrutiny of her life.

Caster Semenya is the first athlete to win national titles in the South African National Championships at the 400 m, 800 m, and 1500 m. She set the record in 2016. 

Semenya has won several awards due to her achievements in athletics. Times magazine included Caster Semenya in its 100 Most Influential People of 2019.

Caster Semenya. Photo/ Demzyportal.

Semenya’s athletics career has faced challenges because she is an intersex woman. World Athletics established new rules in 2019 to prevent women like Semenya from participating in the female classification of 400 m, 800 m and 1500 m. The women can only participate in the races if they take medication to suppress their testosterone levels. 

Caster Semenya Biography

Full Name Mokgadi Caster Semenya

Date of Birth January 7, 1991

Age 31

Place of Birth Pietersburg, South Africa

Nationality South African

Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)

Occupation Track athlete

Marital Status Married

Early Life 

Caster Semenya was born in Ga-Masehlong, Pietersburg, South Africa, on January 7, 1991. She grew up in the village of Fairlie, found deep in South Africa’s Limpopo Province. 

The South African runner attended Nthema Secondary School before proceeding to the University of North West. She took a course in sports science at the South African university.

Semenya loved football as a young girl and began running while training for association football. Her football career ended at the age of 14 when she was disqualified for being too rough with the other girls. 

Career

Caster Semenya got the world’s attention in July 2008 when she participated at the World Junior Championships in the 800 m. She didn’t proceed to the finals. Her first big moment as a teenager came at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games when she won gold with a time of 2:04.23. 

Semenya continued with her outstanding performance at the African Junior Championships the following year. She won gold in the 800 m and 1500 m races with a time of 1:56.72 and 4:08.01, respectively.

Her time at the 800 m was a national and championship record in 2009. Track and Field News voted Semenya as the Number One Women’s 800-metre runner of the year 2009. 

The 2012 Olympics was a big event for Caster Semenya. She was chosen to carry the South African flag at the opening ceremony of the event.

Caster Semenya with the South African flag. Photo/ The Australian.

The South African athlete went ahead and won silver in the 800 m race, recording a time of 1:57.23. She finished 1.04 seconds behind Russia’s Mariya Savinova. However, Semenya’s silver medal was upgraded to gold in 2015 after Mariya tested positive for doping. 

Caster Semenya set a record on April 16, 2016, by becoming the first person to win all three of the 400 m, 800 m and 1500 m races. The three wins were at the South African National Championships. 

Semenya participated in the 2017 World Championships in London and won bronze in the 1500 m race. In 2019, she won 5000 m gold at the South African championship but failed to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 

The South African track athlete made her first major international competition appearance at the 2022 World Athletics Championships since 2017. She failed to qualify for the finals after finishing almost a minute behind first place in the semifinals. 

Personal Life

Caster Semenya has three sisters and a brother. She is an intersex woman with 5a-Reductase two deficiency, assigned female at birth, with XY chromosomes and naturally elevated testosterone levels caused by the presence of internal testes. 

Caster married her long-term partner Violet Raseboya in December 2015. The couple has a daughter born in 2020.

Caster Semenya and her partner. Photo/ Capital News.

FAQs

What is Casper Semenya’s net worth?

Caster Semenya has a net worth of between $1 and $5 million. 

Is Semenya a man or woman?

Semenya is an intersex woman. 

Is Semenya married?

Semenya married her long-term partner, Violet Raseboya, in December 2015.