Banned South African sprinter Caster Semenya has compared her supposed “crimes” with other famous athletes’ in a revealing interview with The Guardian.Semenya is a two-time Olympic gold medallist and three-time World Champion in the 800 metres but has been banned from competing in this event since 2019 because the International Association of Athletics Federations deemed her testosterone levels too high.The 30-year-old is currently forbidden from running any distances between 400 metres and a mile without taking medication to treat her condition, though refuses to do so as she is unwilling to compromise her body.Still the reigning Olympic 800-metre champion, Semenya has appealed her ban, with the decision now resting with the European Court of Human Rights.Speaking to The Guardian, the South African outlined that despite being born with higher testosterone than most women, it was hard work and dedication that made her one of the best.Drawing parallels to her situation with other famous sportspeople including Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt and LeBron James, Semenya questioned whether they too should be treated in the same way.“Michael Phelps’s arms are wide enough for him to do whatever he wants. Swimmers’ lungs are different to other people’s,” she stressed.“Basketball players like LeBron James are tall. If all the tall players are banned from playing, will basketball be the same? Usain has amazing muscle fibres. Are they going to stop him, too? My organs may be different and I may have a deep voice, but I am a woman.”

Even if her appeal is rejected by the court, Semenya still feels her legacy is intact and is content with what she has already achieved in her career.

She will continue fighting this battle regardless of the outcome, and hopefully one day, like Phelps, Bolt, James and others –– she’ll be universally accepted for being one of the world’s finest athletes.