In a series of tweets over the last few days, South African runner Caster Semenya announced that she has signed with a women’s soccer team, then made it clear she is not giving up on track and field.
Semenya, a two-time Olympic champion who has been forced from her sport by a controversial new rule, joined JVW FC and is scheduled to play in the semiprofessional Sasol Women’s League.
“Being a footballer doesn’t mean I’m no longer a track and field athlete,” she wrote. “Just making things clear.”
The announcement comes shortly before the track world championships in Qatar, where officials have ruled that Semenya cannot compete unless she complies with a new regulation for female athletes.
The International Assn. of Athletics Federations has targeted women with “differences of sexual development,” meaning they have natural testosterone levels beyond the normal female range.
After she signed with JVW in her home country, the team’s founder told the Tide website that Semenya “has not giving up on running at all.”
“She’s on a break at the moment, which is why she has time on her hands to do something different,” Janine van Wyk said.
Semenya tweeted: “Looking forward to this journey
