A biography for Caster Semenyahasn’t been written yet.
“From a young age, I was a pretty good listener, a strong lady. Maybe it helped me that I never felt intimidated by anybody. Even at school, I was always strong. I believed in myself, in what I do.”
“To me I don't think sport is something that I can take for life. I still have my academy, my studies.”
“It's good to be well known. Everywhere I go it's the same thing - autographs, pictures.”
“Yes, I learned history at school; I know everything about apartheid. My dad, he bought the books about it, stuff like that. But I just move on with my life. It's completely different for me.”
“I'm the kind of person who doesn't really focus on more negativity. I'm a positive person, and I look at things in a positive way.”
“I've always liked to be on my own, since I was young. I like the sound of a quiet place. It helps me focus.”
“For me, running is nothing. Honestly, it's nothing.”
“Times don't matter but medals matter.”
“Athletics is athletics. When you do sport, you are gambling. You run, you win, you lose. It doesn't matter if you are competing or you are not competing.”
“I always felt a bit different. When I'm with boys, I feel comfortable. When I'm with girls, I catch feelings. It's not anything I can control.”
“Life wasn't good, but I could not walk away from something I love. I had a difficult life to face, but I had to try to keep dealing with the situation with the help of my family, friends, and training partners and manager.”
“If I win gold, I will dedicate it to Nelson Mandela. He is a hero in South Africa, and everything I do, I do for him.”
“With each year I experience, I become more relaxed. I know now what is important to listen to and what to ignore. You only get that with age.”
“I was world champion, but I was never able to celebrate it. It was a joke for me.”
“I am not a fake. I am natural. I am just being Caster. I don't want to be someone I don't want to be. I don't want to be someone people want me to be. I just want to be me. I was born like this. I don't want any changes.”
“If someone was born the way she was born, are you going to blame him, or are you going to blame God? Whose fault is that? Nobody's.”
“It's all about the hard work, knowing your strengths and weaknesses. You work on what you know you can do best. I have speed.”
“I am of the firm view that there is no impediment to me competing in athletics competitions.”
“My family's support system is fantastic.”
“It's always great to perform, make the podium, and yeah, gold, silver, and bronze, will also encourage other nations, Asia, America to do better.”