Kristin Mbomah is a girl from Namibia. On August 3, she broke a new World Youth Record for the 200 meter race by running it in 21.81 seconds. This was not only the record holder but also silver for 2020 Olympics. The medal was the first time Namibia has gotten one since 1996.
25 years ago, another African from Nigeria also won bronze in the same event.
- Yesterday, in a race, the gold went to Jamaican runner Elaine Thompson-Hera. It is her second time taking gold in the 100 and 200 metres at two Olympic Games. This makes her the first athlete to do so. She also made history because she is repeating the success of Usain Bolt (who won gold in 2008, 2012 and 2016).
- As for bronze, Gabrielle Thomas of the USA was placed third. Her time is 21.87.
What’s wrong with Mbom’s success
The problem is with the athlete’s body. It has a lot of testosterone, which makes it different than others. Both athletes have more testosterone than is natural. Mbom and Beatriz Masilinga both have more than they should because they had it since they were young.
Hyperandrogenism is a word about people who are born with both male and female parts. These people have more testosterone than other people. This can help runners get started, have endurance, and be able to stay calm when they are stressed. Christine has used this to set records. But there is one bad thing about it: the world association does not recognize the runner’s performances in races that are 400 meters or longer because of hyperandrogenism.
According to the World Athletics rule (introduced in late 2018 and confirmed by the UN International Court of Justice), female athletes with gender differences (DSD) cannot take part in the 400m to 1500m running disciplines if they have a level of testosterone that is higher than five nanomoles per litre of blood. This is because normal women have a level of three units or lower.
Criticism, it’s here too
People are upset about the way that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is handling this. The Tokyo silver medallist, with her testosterone off the charts and her technique as far from high as possible, had an “unsportsmanlike superiority” over the other girls. But she did not break any rules.
But in the long term, the organizers need to think again about how they let special athletes enter. They have to stop letting them get an advantage over all of the other athletes who do not have a natural advantage.