Caster Semenya: "I always knew I was a different type of girl"
South African Olympic and World Champion Caster Semenya spoke to Breakfast with Martin Bester about her new memoir, 'The Race To Be Myself'.
From her rural beginnings running in the dust to crushing her opponents on the track, to the falsehoods spread about her name and the many trials she has been forced to endure publicly and privately, 'The Race To Be Myself' looks at South African Olympic and World Champion Caster Semenya's journey through innocence, ambition, defiance, and acceptance.
LOOK: Outrage over SA women's hockey team’s ridiculous nickname
The book also explores how she was banned from the sport she loved because she was labelled 'different'.
Semenya spoke to Breakfast with Martin Bester about her new memoir and what this book means to her.
During the interview, she opened up about the challenges she has faced, not just in the sports world but also in her life from a very young age.
READ: Elon Musk makes list of most influential celebrities
She explained to Martin Bester that she always knew she was "different"; and today, she has found freedom and calmness in who she is.
You have to own your life to be happy.
This is Caster's time to set the record straight and share the vivid and blisteringly honest story of how the world came to know her name.
Semenya was thrust into the spotlight after winning the 2009 World Championships and quickly became the centre of a debate which still continues to this day about gender in sports and the right to compete as you are.
Tune in to the 'Breakfast with Martin Bester', weekdays from 06:00 - 09:00. Stream the show live here or download our mobile app here.