Caster Semenya

“I don't give a damn what people say about me. I like me the way I am, and who cares what other people say?”

“I have been subjected to unwarranted and invasive scrutiny of the most intimate and private details of my being.”

“Education is the key. If you are educated, nothing can defeat you.”

“I think sports are meant to unite people.”

“The field is fantastic, great runners, so the best you can do is stay in control, pace yourself well, and then utilise it when you can do better.”

“I am an athlete, and I focus more on the issues that concern me: training, perform, eat, sleep.”

“If I'm at my best, I feel I must win gold all the time.”

“I gave up soccer. But I don't think I can ever stop running.”

“When I'm racing, I'm thinking about my own race. I'm not thinking about anybody.”

“I could never give up athletics. Running is what I will always do. Even if, maybe, the authorities could have stopped me from running in 2009, they could not have stopped me in the fields. I would have carried on with my running; it doesn't matter. When I run I feel free, my mind is free.”

“I want to give myself new challenges. I want to get better.”

“Sometimes I was sad, sometimes happy. Just on and off. Always I felt welcome. It's just, you know, sometimes as a human being, you cannot always be happy. You do good things, you do bad things, people talk.”

“We are going to help the young talented athletes become world champions.”

“I think I make a difference. I mean a lot to my people. I've done well. They're proud of me.”

“It's what my friends always tell me, that I'm a strong person and the best. But my head has to be clear before I run so nothing upsets me.”

“I really don't have time for nonsense.”

“I'd like to dress up more often and wear dresses, but I never get the chance. I'd also like to learn to do my own makeup.”

“What is the point of me changing? If I became another person, it would be bad. If I acted in a different way with my friends, they would not be happy. It's important I stay the same.”

“God made me the way I am, and I accept myself. I am who I am, and I'm proud of myself.”

“When you walk out of your apartment, you think about performing; you do not think about how your opponent looks. So I think the advice from me to everybody is just to go out there and have fun.”