Sharp take on Semenya criticism, madcap medals & doping

When Caster Semenya published nan communicative of her life past year, location were intelligibly a fewer scores she wanted to settle, 1 being pinch Lynsey Sharp.

Over nan years, nan now-retired Scottish 800m runner someway sewage caught up successful nan mediate of nan contention surrounding Semenya.

She sewage hounded connected societal media, was told ne'er to group ft successful South Africa and was subjected to threats, possibly idle aliases possibly not. Who could tell? It was scary stuff.

The 2 athletes had raced against each different since they were juniors.

Semenya has ever been pleasant to Sharp face-to-face, but successful her book past year, she went for her. The Scot was branded a sore loser and accused of disgraceful behaviour.

“Sharp looked astatine maine arsenic though I was little than human,” it read.

In nan latest version of This Sporting Life, Sharp talks astir her life and times and there’s nary uncertainty her communicative is 1 of nan astir intriguing successful Scottish athletics.

Semenya is only portion of it, but it’s a achy part.

“I wish she had said those things to my look if that is really she really felt,” nan 33-year-old says.

“I don’t judge those things are true. I don’t cognize really it sewage to this point, really I became this villain. I’m shocked that she wrote that successful nan book.”

We’re astatine nan Rio Olympics successful 2016. Sharp has conscionable vanished sixth successful nan 800m final.

She’s disappointed that she’s not won a medal, but she’s conscionable tally her fastest-ever race, truthful it’s complicated. Plus, her grandad is dying astatine home, truthful it’s emotional, too.

The last is won by Semenya pinch Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi taking metallic and Margaret Wambui of Kenya winning bronze.

All 3 medallists were athletes pinch definite disorders of intersexual improvement (DSD). Under nan rules arsenic they beryllium now, nary of them would person been allowed to race.

For Sharp, nan problems started erstwhile she had to do a BBC question and reply straight aft nan final.

All season, she’d been bombarded pinch questions astir Semenya and her correct to title and she’d grown weary of dancing connected nan caput of a pin. The questions were constant. She needed help.

Protections were put successful spot by measurement of a personnel of British Athletics intercepting immoderate Semenya questions. But, pinch that BBC interview, Sharp was connected her own.

“I retrieve reasoning done my reply and trying to beryllium really observant successful what I said," she recalls. "I sewage backmost to nan colony and group were asking maine if I was OK, because location was loads of worldly connected Twitter.

“I sewage really affectional successful that question and reply - nan culmination of 4 years activity and not getting a badge while my grandad was dying astatine home. I was really sad.

"Things were taken retired of context. Me crying was taken arsenic being a sore loser. People said to maine after, ‘Oh you’ve won because she’s not allowed to compete anymore’, but it was ne'er for illustration that, it was ne'er maine versus her. It was a really sad situation.”

Elite racing has been benignant and sadistic to Sharp.

She talks astir nan European Championships successful Helsinki successful 2012, an 800m last won by nan Russian, Elena Arzhakova, pinch Sharp second. Another Russian, Irina Maracheva, was 3rd and Maryna Arzamasova from Belarus fourth.

Arzhakova was a doper, sewage banned for 2 years and was stripped of her medal, Sharp being awarded golden retrospectively. Maracheva was besides a doper. So, too, was Arzamasova.

“I sewage upgraded to gold, but I recovered it really difficult to woody pinch because you commencement questioning everything," Sharp says. "And you're like, ‘What's nan point? Like, what's nan constituent successful doing this?’.

“I didn't get nan nationalist anthem played successful that stadium. I didn't get to do a thigh of honour. I felt a spot disillusioned.

"I grew up pinch mum and dada talking astir doping successful nan sport. And we're still talking astir it now. It's conscionable ne'er going away.

"I sewage upgraded, but it's excessively late. It didn't mean thing to me. I almost cringe erstwhile group opportunity I’m a European champion.”

At each twist and move of Sharp’s profession connected nan track, there’s been drama.

The Commonwealth Games successful Glasgow successful 2014 was madcap. The nighttime earlier her final, she went down pinch sickness and was taken to nan infirmary successful nan village.

No food, practically nary slumber and nan biggest title of her life to come. “I was connected my hands and knees throwing up successful nan mediate of nan nighttime extracurricular what is now immoderate person’s house,” she recalls.

Everybody astir her was told to not mention what happened during nan night. Everybody knew, but cipher raised it truthful arsenic not to messiness pinch her head.

“I would person questioned myself: Can I do it?" Sharp explains. "It’s only really erstwhile you look backmost do you realise really overmuch of nan athletics is mental.

"I was only capable to title because cipher said thing negative. That and nan powerfulness of nan crowd.”

She smiles erstwhile talking astir nan location crowd that night. She says it wasn’t that she could perceive it, she could consciousness it.

“It was for illustration they were pushing maine down nan track, arsenic if nan upwind was down only me," Sharp says. "I had this super-power down me.”

Her metallic badge was a triumph complete adversity and her proudest infinitesimal successful nan sport.

Her caller life? She’s doing conscionable fine. A small boy, Max, a husband, nan runner Andy Butchart, a caller profession and a quieter existence. Bliss aft nan bedlam.

Some of that bedlam, though? The very champion of times. Days and nights she will never, ever forget.