Caster Semenya, South African sprinter
Mokgadi Caster Semenya OIB (born 7 January 1991) is a South African middle-distance runner and winner of two Olympic gold medals and three World Championships in the women's 800 metres. She first won gold at the World Championships in 2009, and went on to win at the 2016 Olympics, and 2017 World Championships, where she also won a bronze medal in the 1500 metres. After the doping disqualification of Mariya Savinova, she was also awarded gold medals for the 2011 World Championships and the 2012 Olympics.Semenya is an intersex woman, assigned female at birth, with XY chromosomes and naturally elevated testosterone levels caused by the presence of internal testes.Following her victory at the 2009 World Championships, she was made to undergo sex testing, and cleared to return to competition the following year. In 2019, new World Athletics rules came into force preventing women like Semenya from participating in 400m, 800m, and 1500m events in the female classification unless they take medication to suppress their testosterone levels. In 2021, she filed an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights against the restrictions.
1991Jan, 7
Caster Semenya
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- 15Jan
Gulf War
The United Nations deadline for the withdrawal of Iraqi forces from occupied Kuwait expires, preparing the way for the start of Operation Desert Storm. - 16Jan
Gulf War
Coalition Forces go to war with Iraq, beginning the Gulf War. - 17Jan
Operation Desert Storm
Gulf War: Operation Desert Storm begins early in the morning. Iraq fires eight Scud missiles into Israel in an unsuccessful bid to provoke Israeli retaliation. - 9Apr
Soviet Union
Georgia declares independence from the Soviet Union - 5Oct
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An Indonesian military transport crashes after takeoff from Jakarta killing 137.