Coming face-to-face with South Africa star athlete Caster Semenya inspires awe and admiration. Amazement for the many tracks she has conquered; with verifiable statistics, the 27-year-old Caster is three-time World Championship gold medallist in 800m and there are even more.
She has back-to-back Olympic gold medals in 800m to her name, the Commonwealth gold in 800m and 1500m, and five gold medals at the African Championship. Simply put, she is the biggest female athlete in Africa and still has many more years to go. This fact was confirmed in March in her profile for the prestigious Laureus Award which annually honours individuals and teams from the world along with sporting achievements as she was nominated for the Sports Award for Sportswoman of the Year alongside the great Serena Williams (eventual winner), amongst others.
Yet she gets loads of admiration for not letting successes to get into her head by remaining humble and friendly with everyone.
At the last 21st CAA African Senior Athletics Championship in Asaba, Semenya was undoubtedly the biggest star sought by all reporters still, she humbly presented herself to be interviewed with smiles.
Given the opportunity, that was the first question this reporter asked her: “How have you remained humble in spite of the success that has come your way?”
The golden girl smiled before answering in a husky voice full of emotion: “I am a simple girl. Like the girl next door. I have a humble background as I grew up in a village South Africa.
“My background taught me to be humble and the truth is ‘the star tag’ does not suit me.”
On the track, Semenya also shows her modesty with the way she relates with other athletes. Winning or losing does not matter to her as she cradles all co-contesters at the end of all her races. Though, she won nearly every time, she would wait to embrace all before moving on to the mixed zone.
Once, when she finished in second place in one of the semi-finals, she did not depart from her ritual, moving first to congratulate the winner and then the other challengers.
She explained her demeanour: “Whatever I have achieved today is a result that I humbly listen to some people. Though, it was not so difficult identifying my athletic prowess. The environment was conducive for us. I have always been competitive and started playing soccer at a tender age.
“What was difficult for me was the ability to realise my potential given that I grew up a rural area, from a village. So, I had to learn and listen to people around me.
“I started playing soccer and only started running to improve my soccer ability and when I was told I could excel as an athlete I wanted to play soccer and run. I was told I had to leave one and thank God I opted for athletics.
“I did not have the self-belief mentality before but some people believe in me and made me believe in myself. After winning at the Commonwealth Games, it gave me hope and belief.
“So I told myself that if I get the chance to be in the Olympics, to be in the World Championships, I’ll use that opportunity to become the best.”
Semenya attributes her accomplishments today, to humbleness and hard work.
“Today, wherever I go people recognise me and thank me for what I am doing. It means I inspire them. They love what we do. We give back to them, interacting with them, giving them what they want. From a small village girl I have done something good and I am inspired to do more.”
Semenya is not done yet. Her ambition is to run till she is 40 and break her records all over again. Her goals are indeed bigger than her.
“I had my 2018 goals cut out already starting with the nationals in March, and then, moved on to Cape Coast Commonwealth Games where I did get what I set to do. I wanted the double in 800m and 1500m, which I got. That is the main goal this year.
“I am happy with my goal in Asaba (African Champions). I got the 400m and 800m gold. My year is made. Whatever comes after I would be happy to allow roll in. The bigger picture for me is to continue to run till I am 40.
“I’m working every day to improve and Tokyo (2020 Olympics Games) is my goal. I’m taking it a step at a time. I’m looking forward to it. I’ll be 29. So it will be probably my last Olympics, 800 metres, I don’t know. But yes, if I can still go faster, you never know where you can end up. But yes, I’m very excited. It will be my third Olympics. I’m looking forward to it.”
With two Olympic 800 metres gold medals under her belt, a historic third won’t be a bad idea, she noted. “To me, it will show that anything is possible if you believe. So, for me, also I’m doing it for the little kids in Africa, especially where I’m coming from in South Africa because our middle distance is not that strong. I just want to show that if you believe, if you work hard, you can achieve anything that you want in your life. If you set up your goals and then wake up and make it happen, you can be the greatest of them all.”
Accomplishing these goals, she added, came at a price though. “You have to choose what you want and focus at it. I run every time to keep my focus. It’s all hard work and nothing else. I’ve always wanted to do this.
“Since I was a child and I watched the routine of great athletes and knew I must sacrifice my time and other things to be at the top. It is a price I am aware of and enjoying what comes from it. My training routine is crazy and must be followed to the letter.
“No cutting corners,” she added with a smirk as she speaks further on other salient points in this is interview with TAIWO ALIMI. Excerpts…
How did it feel to be nominated for the 2018 Laureus Award alongside great athletes like Serena Williams?
It is dream fulfilled. I have been dreaming about it since I started running as a child. My goals are to win laurels, many of them and to be counted among the best in the world. From young, watching sportsmen and sportswomen on top of the world, being nominated, I have always wanted to be there too and that it has come now is a fulfilment of my dream.
I feel special. Especially when you look at the athletes that you are sharing the honours with. Names like Michael Johnson, Serena Williams, Allyson Felix, to mention but a few. It is awesome and it has inspired me to seek more goals as an athlete. It is not for me to rest on my oars but to seek more successes because I see myself now as a role model to the younger athletes.
You won the 400m in Asaba, how does that feel because it’s your first on African soil?
It is not as if I’ve not done 400m before but not at competitive stage like this, but it is about me doing what I do best. I like it when I am pushed hard and I tend to perform better in that kind of condition. I do relax when I am not being pushed but when I have formidable opponents, I usually go all the way to do better.
The 800m is the main thing for me. It is like every other time I have done the 800. I use the heat like a kind of training to feel the purse of my opponents, the condition and the track. That would give me a good feel for how the next stage would be like and if I need to put the heat on. After the heat I did feel great, my legs feel great and I knew I could go all the way.
During the 800m semi-final you finished in second place, at the end of the race you embraced and whispered to the winner of your group, what did you tell her?
Yes! I congratulated her and gave a second look hoping that she has more than she has given in the semi-final. That gave me the opportunity to push myself and make the final more enjoyable. I knew I had to do better and push myself and that helped me to attack the final from the very beginning, and keep pushing till I got to the end. I had to watch my start, maintain my stride and look at what I can produce at the last 150m, which I know I can do better there, so it is just fantastic. You cannot predict what I can do or any other middle distance running. When I am on the track I always try to spice up my pace because you know what you can produce. As for me, my goal is bigger than me. I want to continue to run till I am 40 and probably attend three more Olympics.
You broke the national record in 400m, how difficult was that given the condition in Nigeria?
I just wanted to maintain my pace in the 400m. I did not want to be too adventurous knowing that I still had the 800m to do. It is not a joke to do sub 150 twice already this year. I just want to relax a bit. I really want to enjoy myself in Nigeria since it is my first time here. This is African soil. I love the people and I just want to entertain them. If you understand what I am saying, running here is about focus and rhythm. I am not really into mileage here, but time will tell if I can go out there and blow away. It all depends on condition. The important thing is to win and enjoy it. So, it is a bonus to get a national record. I am happy.
Some athletes complain about the Nigerian track, what do you think?
The track is I don’t know…..crazy. It is up and down, but obviously it is the condition that we all face and you cannot make excuses as an athlete. It is not the best, if I may put it that way.
So how does coming to Nigeria for the first time make you feel?
I have always dreamt of coming to Nigeria. I have never been here before and Nigerian people are great and loving people. The weather conditions are extremely hot, it’s just crazy but I’m enjoying each and every moment here. I love the atmosphere in the stadium. The young and old are here and they are helping us to achieve our goal. They love it when you run well and they cheer you on. It does not matter if you are from Nigeria. They just want to enjoy themselves and I am too.
Who are your role models?
Maria Mutola was my role model growing up and she still is my role model. I also looked up to the late Mbulaeni Mulaudzi. He came from Limpopo, the same province that I grow up and he inspired me while growing up. There is also Edwin Moses that I watched on television and who inspired me a great deal. A lot of us grew up dreaming to run like them. Maria Mutola gave me the inspiration to dream dreams and I would be forever grateful to her. She ran the 800m so well that I watched her tape many times to run like her. She is a legend.
Which is your most memorable World Championships race?
It must be in London. It was a difficult race that brought out my best. I won because I wanted it so badly and pushed myself beyond the limit in the last 200m when I attacked. I watched it over and over, how I executed the movements, especially on my last 60 metres. It’s unbelievable, you know. It shows the hard work that we put in. Always God is great, if I may say, because I feel like I’m a living testimony of God and I’m a message out here for the young kids who cannot be able to do what they want to do, reiterating that voice for them. For me, you know, it’s very special and I can never forget it. I’ll cherish it for the rest of my life.
Looking back, can you pick the greatest moment in your career?
I would say that Rio Olympics in 2016 is one of my highlights, and obviously back then [at the World Championships in 2009] was the first time I made it to the scene. So those were the highlights of my life. But if you were a young girl, you know, I had to grow. I had to be mature. I had to find a way how to make decisions and how to make right ones and how to pick the wrong ones and take them out. I think winning in 2009 and winning in Rio are the best moments of my life, I can never forget.
