CONTROVERSIAL SOUTH AFRICAN runner Caster Semanya is facing a backlash from beaten competitors after her win in the 800 metres in Berlin, with one Canadian runner claiming that she was “literally running against a man”.

The Daily Telegraph reports that Canada’s Diane Cummins, who finished fifth in Sunday’s race, says athletes feel frustrated they cannot give their opinion about Semenya because they risk being seen as “bad sports.

Cummins says:

Unfortunately for Caster, she’s grown up in an environment that is complicated not just for her but for human science. Basically, is she man, is she lady? What constitutes male, what constitutes female?

Even if she is a female, she’s on the very fringe of the normal athlete female biological composition from what I understand of hormone testing. So, from that perspective, most of us just feel that we are literally running against a man.

Ghanaian radio station Peace FM carries the news that a former coach of Semenya’s has responded to the criticism.

Michael Seme, who coached the South African to the world title a year ago, says:

It’s up to them to say and do what they want to. For us we don’t say anything. As long as the organisers of these meetings invite us, there is no problem.

People are people and they will say things, but good luck to them. We have no problem. If these athletes don’t want to come and run, it’s up to them.

Asked whether Semenya was affected by their remarks, he said: “No, no, no. We don’t even care about the past now. We’re just looking forward to new things and shouldn’t be talking about the old ones. That is now over and gone.”