• Tweet

SILVER: Caster with her medal. Photos: Wessel Oosthuizen

POWERFUL: South Africa's Caster Semenya and Russia's Elena Arzhakova compete during their 800m final race. Photo: Getty Images

 They just watch us running, they don't know what we're going through, so yeah, I tried my best 

RELATED ARTICLES

• Mbalula comes to Caster's defence - "She is a courageous young girl. If I were in her shoes I would never have coped"
• That's my girl, says Caster's gran
• Caster Semenya wins silver medal at Olympics
• SA Olympians drug free

South Africa's lone track medallist in two Olympic games, Caster Semenya, hit back on Tuesday at criticism of the tactics which resulted in her winning a silver medal in the women's 800m race.

There was speculation that Semenya did not go all out to win the race.

"[There is} nothing much I can say. I try my best and I won a silver," Semenya told reporters at OR Tambo International Airport on the team's arrival from London.

Semenya said people who questioned her motivation lacked knowledge about the sport.

"So whatever people are saying, they always talk, they know nothing about athletics.

"They just watch us running, they don't know what we're going through, so yeah, I tried my best."

Semenya's medal was the first for South Africa in a track event since Mbulaeni Mulaudzi's silver at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.

Despite her individual success, she was disappointed at being the only member of the track team to finish in a podium spot.

"For me, I'm a little disappointed about the results. We had a strong team so we were expecting at least another four medals, but at least we have a silver."

Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula highlighted the performance of Semenya, who was South Africa's flag-bearer for the games.

"When you were running there our hearts nearly stopped. We don't [know] what your strategy was.

"Caster represents the greatest guts for women. It doesn't matter where you come from, you represent a symbol of [a] courageous woman in South Africa."

Mbalula congratulated all the medallists.

"There are no words that can describe the joy you have delivered. I don't think you can comprehend what you have done for this nation.

"Today we are united -- black and white -- with your deeds. For what you have done it will remain in the annals of history. You did not ask, but you obeyed."

Mbalula said the gold medal won by Cameron van der Burgh in the 100m breaststroke, in a world record time, was the catalyst for the South African team.

"When Cameron got that first gold, like we said, if you don't believe don't catch that flight. When that gold was delivered it changed for our nation.

"I want to say to you Cameron, job well done. We would have been disappointed had you not delivered that gold."

.

Comments

• Sign in or sign up to comment

Wed Jun 19 13:25:43 SAST 2013 ::

Aug 14, 2012

somaartakeit

Really Caster you don't have to respond to everything written about you, elite sports-persons are publicly scruitinised every minute of each day, wena you protest too much, just enjoy your silver medal before you bring media spotlight to yourself....keep your head low Caster engage the public via your spokesperson if you have any, really you don't need this public spat.
Report Abuse

Aug 14, 2012

ThirdEye

For everyone who was representing the Nation, well done.
Report Abuse

Aug 14, 2012

Lungu

Thank you for a well desreved medal Caster we are proud of you. Just yetsreday i heard this two guys talking no sense regarding the fact that you did not manage to get a gold and i was so bored because its easy to talk but go in action and thats when ppl will realise how hard it is.
Report Abuse

Aug 14, 2012

somaartakeit

@Lungu prolly the other guy said that cause nkosazana zuma-dlamini said Caster should go for gold, and that racist cow failed to recognised or send similar wishes to the rest of the team representing SA at the olympics anc are not only super corrupt they are nazis as well that's why I am happy that in KZN they have started cleansing each other out of existance.
Report Abuse

Aug 14, 2012

Tespi

You should have got GOLD, as you ran with real females. Run against your type(MAN) then you will be now where, Fame by error
Report Abuse

Aug 14, 2012

MakgwebelakaKokoYaManoti!

Re batla kgauta e seng selivera hle abuti-kgaitsedi yaka Caster hle,feela o lekile ha ho tshwane.
Report Abuse

Aug 14, 2012

Iphone5

Caster has gained sum body hey , i guess the gOOD in her sure pays at the end , when u happy and satisfied all will also go well for you > U dd a good job Lady and to all the others the guys dd well even u white lady we saw ur bronze yes u also dd well i believe nxt time u will bring gold >
Lol Mbalula shine for it is your time to shine now , u must ka bo Beyonce !
Report Abuse

Aug 14, 2012

Mellow

Tespi
You should have got GOLD, as you ran with real females. Run against your type(MAN) then you will be now where, Fame by error
..............................................................................................................................................
OMW like what the hell now?! Now we know why she didnt go for gold ppl like you geez!!!

Caster and toe? No need to be defensive and I thought you are the one who started blaming this on your tactic and yes everyone who was watching saw that it wasnt going to pay off knowledge of sport or not, you got silver well done but really this is not the time for you to be arrogant sesi, Fikile also confirmed that you and no one else blamed it on your so-called tactic sit down and enjoy your money ska tlo re lapisa yerrr

FYI you really do not have to know bout something to know that its gonna fail, EXAMPLE ZUMA!!!
Report Abuse

Aug 14, 2012

somaartakeit

Iphone5 not so fast mbalula has nothing to shine about, considering that how under represented team SA is, if we had a bigger team we'd have more chances of competing in other disciplines and gained more medals but no our tax is used to entertained minister and friends as they all are a product of screwed up priorities (ANC regime), if only African leaders understood value behind investment, instead of chowing both the Goose and the Golden Eggs at once cause they are greedy and are without a vision, I still would like to know how paying beyonce millions of SA's hard earned tax will improve our sports.

The anc ministers are addicted to throw our hard earned tax into the pit, there was a time they gave millions to Ngema for aids awareness, had that money been given to the NGO's who are at the forefront of supporting sufferers and making public awareness about this diseases much more would have been accomplished, I still fail to understand input of sarafina to aids project.
Report Abuse

Aug 14, 2012

MommaC

Tespi

You have chosen a female avatar.
Caster has a medical certificate to PROVE that she is a woman - do you?
Report Abuse

Read all 74 comments