Running is just a game to me.
— Caster Semenya
To me, I can be famous in sports. But to me, I cannot say it means a lot to be famous. Being famous is something I don't like.
If someone was born the way she was born, are you going to blame him, or are you going to blame God? Whose fault is that? Nobody's.
I gave up soccer. But I don't think I can ever stop running.
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 am of the firm view that there is no impediment to me competing in athletics competitions.
We are going to help the young talented athletes become world champions.
For me, running is nothing. Honestly, it's nothing.
If I'm at my best, I feel I must win gold all the time.
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.
I don't drink gases, like Coke - just juice and water, and I don't drink alcohol.
It's always great to perform, make the podium, and yeah, gold, silver, and bronze, will also encourage other nations, Asia, America to do better.
I know how I look like. I know how I sound. I know how I walk. I'm just gonna be me. I do me, and you do you.
I don't understand when you say I'm a man or I have a deep voice. I know I'm a female, so there's no question for me.
I think I make a difference. I mean a lot to my people. I've done well. They're proud of me.
I've never bought my own clothes - my mum buys them for me.
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.
Running a fast time is good; it's better than winning. You can win with a slow time. To me, it doesn't mean anything. I like running a fast race more than a slow race.
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.
The way you were born is the way you were born. Nothing can change it. I've got a deep voice. I know. I might look tough, but what are you going to do? Do you think you can change it? No.
Life wasn't good, but I could not walk away from something I love. I had a difficult life to face, but I had to try to keep dealing with the situation with the help of my family, friends, and training partners and manager.
When I'm racing, I'm thinking about my own race. I'm not thinking about anybody.
I have been subjected to unwarranted and invasive scrutiny of the most intimate and private details of my being.
To me I don't think sport is something that I can take for life. I still have my academy, my studies.
From a young age, I was a pretty good listener, a strong lady. Maybe it helped me that I never felt intimidated by anybody. Even at school, I was always strong. I believed in myself, in what I do.
With each year I experience, I become more relaxed. I know now what is important to listen to and what to ignore. You only get that with age.
I'm supposed to be famous, but I don't think I like it so much.
I was world champion, but I was never able to celebrate it. It was a joke for me.
We all know that we Africans just win medals in middle and long distance, and walking in their footsteps makes me feel proud, you know.
I always felt a bit different. When I'm with boys, I feel comfortable. When I'm with girls, I catch feelings. It's not anything I can control.
How the hell can you change gender in the rural areas? I am a woman. We don't have good doctors; we are not rich to do such procedures.
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.
I am not a fake. I am natural. I am just being Caster. I don't want to be someone I don't want to be. I don't want to be someone people want me to be. I just want to be me. I was born like this. I don't want any changes.
It's good to be well known. Everywhere I go it's the same thing - autographs, pictures.
I don't have rights. Let's put it this way: in athletics, I don't have rights.
I want to give myself new challenges. I want to get better.
Some of the occurrences leading up to and immediately following the Berlin World Championships have infringed not only my rights as an athlete but also my fundamental and human rights, including my rights to dignity and privacy.
If I win gold, I will dedicate it to Nelson Mandela. He is a hero in South Africa, and everything I do, I do for him.
I am an athlete first and foremost, and it is vital for my competitiveness, my well being, and for my preparations for events during the European summer that I measure my performance against other athletes.
Athletics is athletics. When you do sport, you are gambling. You run, you win, you lose. It doesn't matter if you are competing or you are not competing.
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 am a fighter. I never give up.
I don't like fame, I prefer to have no profile. But this is not possible for me. This is what I do, so I just have to find a way of being comfortable with it.
Education is the key. If you are educated, nothing can defeat you.
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.
My family's support system is fantastic.
I don't understand when you say I have an advantage because I am a woman.
I'm the kind of person who doesn't really focus on more negativity. I'm a positive person, and I look at things in a positive way.
It's all about the hard work, knowing your strengths and weaknesses. You work on what you know you can do best. I have speed.
