Quick name search
CTRL+K
Quick name search
CTRL+K
Caster Semenya is a winner. The 29-year-old South African is the two-time women’s 800m Olympic champion, a three-time 800m world champion and a double Commonwealth Games middle distance gold medallist. To wrap those figures in further context, when Semenya won the Doha Diamond League 800m in May 2019, it was her 30th consecutive victory over […]
Caster Semenya is a winner. The 29-year-old South African is the two-time women’s 800m Olympic champion, a three-time 800m world champion and a double Commonwealth Games middle distance gold medallist. To wrap those figures in further context, when Semenya won the Doha Diamond League 800m in May 2019, it was her 30th consecutive victory over the distance.
Put simply, when fit, in-form and free to run without distraction, Semenya is almost unbeatable over the 800m. But these are not circumstances often afforded to Semenya, who lives with a condition in which her body produces a much higher level of testosterone than most other women.
In 2009, on the eve of the women’s 800m World Championship final, it was revealed that World Athletics (then the IAAF) had asked her to undergo gender verification testing. Semenya was permitted to compete in the final and won gold but was subsequently stopped from competing for nearly a year.
In 2011 the IAAF established official rules restricting female athletes with elevated levels of testosterone, arguing it presents an unfair advantage. From 2011 to 2019 Semenya was locked in a cycle of appeals and court cases until the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled in favour of IAAF regulations stating that female athletes with differences of sexual development (DSD) are required to take testosterone-reducing medication to compete in track events from 400m to the mile.
Caster Semenya has appealed against this judgement to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court. But in March 2020 the soft-spoken athlete revealed on social media that she now aims to compete in the 200m.
“My dream has always been, and will continue to be, to compete at the highest level of sport and so in order to pursue my goals and dreams I have decided to change events and compete in the 200m,” said Caster Semenya, whose personal best in the 200m at the time was 23.49 seconds.
Do not bet against Caster Semenya lowering that to the Olympic qualification mark of 22.80 seconds in time for Tokyo 2020. This, after all, is an athlete who won the 400m, 800m and 1500m in the space of three hours one extraordinary afternoon at the 2016 South African National Championships.
Contact us at Speakers Inc and follow us on Facebook
Veli Ndaba was born in Soweto, Emdeni Township. He studied National Diploma in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Johannesburg and a Bachelor of Science in Management Science at the University of South Africa. He further obtained a diploma in project management and train-the-trainer certificate while embarking on a career in the corporate world. In […]
As early as seven years old, Noluthando Tshabalala’s greatest joy came from standing in front of an audience, articulating, and expressing herself. She was born ready for the world to hear her voice. A voice of an African woman that carries authenticity, positivity, and a new perspective. Contents Noluthando Tshabalala | Motivational Speaker At the […]
Wandile Sihlobo is the Chief Economist of the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz) and the author of “Finding Common Ground: Land, Equity, and Agriculture.” Sihlobo is Senior Lecturer Extraordinary at the Department of Agricultural Economics at Stellenbosch University. He is also a Visiting Research Fellow at the Wits School of Governance, University of the […]
Zolani Mahola is a South African Storyteller – she is a singer, an actress, an Inspiration Speaker and an agent for social change. Zolani Mahola aka The One Who Sings Born in Port Elizabeth in 1981, she studied Theatre and Performance at the University of Cape Town where she met musicians with whom she would […]
Palesa Mosiea epitomizes the essence of resilience and achievement. As a dynamic speaker, she delves into multifaceted topics including entrepreneurship, embracing change, the power of dreams, overcoming challenges, women empowerment, leadership, image and branding, confidence and assertiveness, as well as health and fitness. With a compelling narrative rooted in her personal journey, Palesa inspires audiences […]
Born in Paarl, Dr Gillian Arendse attended Nederburg Primary School and Paulus Joubert SS. He studied at the University of Stellenbosch from 1989 – 1996, with a Ph.D (Experimental Nuclear Physics). From 1997 to 2007, he was the lecturer in the Department of Physics at the University Stellenbosch where he went on to become the […]
Nolo Mokoena is a Creative Solutionist, Nolo Mokoena is the co-founder of several innovative start-ups such as Storage Wards Solutions and South Africa’s first online house music publication, The Set Magazine. Previously an Associate Manager at Procter & Gamble, Nolo currently focuses on advertising for the youth voice, and creating youth-led and youth-focused enterprises […]
These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by Speakers Inc.
All talent fees exclude VAT, travel and accommodation where required.
We are actively working to have our profiles current with Keynote Speech titles, and Summaries.
Some Speakers do not have a set title or summary for their topic lists. Instead they customize for each. Other speakers only do moderated conversations.
If you do not see content here, please contact us.
We also have ample information off line that we can share as some do not want to have visible profiles and as such these are hidden pages. Or in the event we do not have the information, we can contact the speaker to provide and share.
Our Mission
© All rights reserved 2024. Created by Speakers Inc