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Nyairera backs Semenya in cause against IAAF testosterone rule

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Margaret Wambui Nyairera of Kenya has backed her South African competitor – Caster Semenya over her stand against the IAAF rules on testosterone levels in women’s competitions.

Semenya, Nyairera’s track nemesis over the 800 metres distance, lost her appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in a landmark ruling delivered on Wednesday.

Nyairera, Kenya’s 800m bronze medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and who will come face to face with Semenya in Doha for the opening Diamond League race of the 2019 season; took to Twitter to support Semenya.

IAAF approved new rules requiring some female athletes to regulate their testosterone levels, with Semenya and Nyairera the most notable on that potential list.

“I do support you Caster coz no one chooses to be born he or she want,” Nyairera tweeted from Doha on Thursday, the eve of Friday’s race.

On Wednesday, following the announcement of the CAS verdict, Nyairera tweeted: “This life sometimes is so unfair” but everything that happens happens with a reason Caster this is life we African we have nothing to say in this world and nothing we can do about it so pole (sorry) my dear so painful.”

The decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport means that women with comparatively high levels of testosterone will have to take suppressive treatment to keep it below below five nanomoles per litre of blood if they wish to compete as females in certain events.

Olympic and World champion Semenya has perennially been on the spotlight over her perceived masculinity attributes and was at some point in her career forced to take a gender test.

She has a female partner for a spouse, Violet Raseboya, with whom they we’d in 2016. In 2017, Raseboya was reportedly pregnant; raising even more questions about Semenya’s gender.

Just like Semenya, Nyairera, is reportedly dating a woman and at one point was in the limelight for being in a love triangle involving a man who accused her of trying to snatch his girlfriend.

The CAS ruling has been met with various reactions from different quarters, including human rights organizations who have termed it discriminatory and although IAAF boss – Lord Seb Coe, saying they would immediately implement the new rules.

Critics of the rule, however, have questioned how it would be implemented.

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Milton Nyakundi

Milton Nyakundi is a veteran multimedia journalist with over 20 years of experience across broadcast, digital, and print media, who relocated to the United States in 2022 and is now the Senior International Correspondent for Kurunzi News based in Washington, DC, USA. He has previously worked with the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), among other high-profile roles with Kenya's first privately-owned media outlet - Kenya Television Network. His experience also include prominent roles as Media Consultant for Football Kenya Federation (FKF), and StarTimes Kenya. His career spans high‑stakes political reporting covering legislative and constitutional issues, elections, governance, and accountability across Kenya, Africa, and global arenas. He also boasts extensive sports journalism experience, covering local and international sports events, including leagues, tournaments and sports governance. He is well-known for his investigative depth, editorial leadership, and evidence-driven journalism that guides his consistent delivery of public‑interest storytelling across platforms.

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