Caster Semenya loses appeal over 2019 testosterone ruling

South African runner and Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya has lost her appeal against World Athletics. The Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland announced on Tuesday that the 2019 ruling that caps testosterone levels in female runners from the 400m through the mile will stand. 

Semenya said in a press release, “I am very disappointed by this ruling, but refuse to let World Athletics drug me or stop me from being who I am. Excluding female athletes or endangering our health solely because of our natural abilities puts World Athletics on the wrong side of history. I will continue to fight for the human rights of female athletes, both on the track and off the track, until we can all run free the way we were born. I know what is right and will do all I can to protect basic human rights for young girls everywhere.”

RELATED: Caster Semenya, Olympic champion and soon-to-be mother

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld the WA ruling on May 1, 2019, and Semenya announced her appeal shortly thereafter, which brought her to the Swiss Court.

Going forward, Semenya will continue her training for the Tokyo Olympics. After World Athletics initially ruled to ban women with differences of sexual development (DSD) from competitions between 400m and the mile (unless they agreed to take hormone-suppressing drugs), Semenya announced her move to the 200m. With a PB of 23.49, she remains just outside of the Olympic qualification standard of 22.80.

RELATED: Caster Semenya is all in on the 200m