Page 23 - ARUBA TODAY

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SPORTS Thursday 23 May 2019

In this Friday, April 13, 2018 file photo, Women's 800m silver medal winner Kenya's Margaret Nyair-
era Wambui, left, shakes hands with gold medal winner South Africa's Caster Semenya on the
podium at Carrara Stadium during the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, Australia.
Associated Press
Another athlete slams IAAF’s rules

on testosterone, refuses medication

Australia's Caleb Ewan celebrates as he crosses the finish line to
win the 11th stage of the Giro d'Italia cycling race, from Carpi to By MUTWIRI MUTUOTA and athletics as a career and tion or treatment if it's not
Novi Ligure, Wednesday, May 22, 2019. GERALD IMRAY achieve a lot through it. requested and there is
Ewan wins Stage Associated Press Why wait for me to estab- no medical need and it's
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — lish myself as an 800-meter solely for athletic purposes.
Another Olympic medalist athlete then tell me that I The contraceptive pills and
11; Conti keeps has criticized the IAAF's tes- need to take medication hormone-blocking injec-
tosterone regulations and to compete in the same tions would have negative
said she will refuse to take event?
side effects.
pink jersey in Giro hormone-reducing medi- "The ruling has affected me Wambui said she received
greatly because you are a letter from the IAAF
cation.
not sure of what to train for about a week ago inform-
Margaret Wambui of Ke-
nya, who won bronze in the ... this season I was focusing ing her that her testoster-
NOVI LIGURE, Italy (AP) ceeded my expectations," 800 meters behind Caster on the world champion- one levels were higher than
— Caleb Ewan of Austra- said Ewan, who also won Semenya at the 2016 Olym- ships and Diamond League the allowed level. Athletes
lia sprinted to victory on one stage in 2017. pics, said she is affected races but all that effort has wanting to compete at
the 11th stage of the Giro Conti remained 1 minute, by the new rules but won't gone to waste." the world championships in
d'Italia on Wednesday, 50 seconds ahead of Slo- take "any type of medica- Semenya, a two-time Doha, Qatar, in September
while Italian cyclist Valerio venian cyclist Primoz Ro- tion" to lower her natural Olympic 800-meter cham- and October had to start
Conti remained the overall glic, who is one of the fa- testosterone. pion, lost her case against lowering their testosterone
leader. vorites, and 2:21 ahead of Without medication or sur- the IAAF at the Court of by May 8 to be eligible.
Ewan, who rides for Lotto- Nans Peters of France. gery, some female runners Arbitration for Sport, allow- "My family is very disap-
Soudal, edged out Arnaud It was a second successive won't be allowed to com- ing track's governing body pointed by this decision by
Demare and Pascal Acker- entirely flat route before the pete at anymore interna- to implement testosterone (the) IAAF," she said. "After
mann in a bunch sprint at Giro heads into the Alps for tional meetings this season, limits in races from 400 me- I received the letter I went
the end of the entirely flat Thursday's 12th stage. The including this year's world ters to one mile. back home and spent a
221-kilometer (137-mile) 158-kilometer route from championships. Female athletes who have week with my mother trying
route from Carpi to Novi Li- Cuneo to Pinerolo includes "It's wrong of (the) IAAF to one of a specific set of con- to make her understand
gure. the first category one climb ask us to take medicine to ditions that cause testoster- what's happening."
"My team did a great job to of this year's race, when it alter our natural body func- one levels higher than the Wambui's decision to pub-
keep me in position in the heads up to Montoso. tion," Wambui said Tues- typical female range now licly declare she is affected
final 30 kilometers," Ewan "It was a long and sunny day, speaking Swahili in an have to lower those levels by the rules means all three
said. stage. So I enjoyed it very interview in Kenya. to be eligible to compete medalists in the 800-meter
"I think Pascal went a little much," Conti said. "To- She said she was unsure at international events. race at the 2016 Rio de Ja-
bit too early. I waited, bid- morrow it'll be harder to what side effects any med- The IAAF provides three op- neiro Olympics have said
ed my time and when I felt keep the jersey because ication or treatment might tions to lower the hormone they have a condition that
ready I went." the main climb is a hard have on her. levels: Daily contraceptive causes high levels of natu-
It was the second victory one. But I want to keep The 23-year-old Wambui, pills, a monthly hormone- ral testosterone.
at this year's Giro for the the Maglia Rosa tomorrow the world junior champion blocking injection or sur- Semenya's lawyers say they
24-year-old Ewan, who also also." in the 800 in 2014, com- gery. are considering that, while
won the sprint at the end Conti has worn the pink jer- pared the regulations to That has been criticized the South African govern-
of the eighth and longest sey since finishing second "losing your job." as unethical by the World ment has announced there
stage on Saturday. on Thursday's sixth stage. "This ruling is very unfair," Medical Association, which will be an appeal on behalf
"I came here to get one The Giro finishes in Verona she said. "I have grown up has advised doctors not of the country's national
win so to get two really ex- on June 2.q knowing that I want to do to prescribe the medica- track federation.q