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'I could have won an Olympic medal': Former GB athlete on how gender testing rules have changed
Former British athlete Lynsey Sharp has told Sky News she would have won a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics in 2016 had today's gender testing rules been in place then.
Sharp came sixth in the women's 800m final behind three now-barred athletes with differences in sexual development (DSD). She told sports presenter Jacquie Beltrao the sport has changed considerably from when she was competing.
"Sometimes I look back and think I could have had an Olympic medal, but I gave it my all that day and that was the rules at the time," she said. "Obviously, I wish I was competing nowadays, but that was my time in the sport and that's how it was." The Rio women's 800m final saw South Africa's Caster Semenya take gold, with Burundi's Francine Niyonsaba and Margaret Wambui winning silver and bronze respectively.
All three would have been unable to compete today. Semenya won a total of two Olympic gold medals before World Athletics introduced rules limiting her participation in the female class.
In a major policy overhaul introduced this year, World Athletics now requires athletes competing in the female category at the elite level of the sport to take a gene test. The tests identify the SRY gene, which is on the Y chromosome and triggers the development of male characteristics.
The tests replace previous rules whereby athletes with DSD were able to compete as long as they artificially reduced their testosterone levels. Sharp says while she was competing, governing bodies "didn't really deal with the issue head on.
Amir Nisi
Creative and experienced content writer with 6+ years of experience lazy to create unique content strategy for News5 to turn website visitors into customers.
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