A former Polish sprinter has demanded a Namibian athlete undergo a test to determine whether or not she is actually female. Marcin Urbas says Christine Mboma, who claimed the silver medal in the women’s 200m final at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, was just too quick.
According to insider.com, the 18-year-old crossed the finish line in an official time of 21.81 seconds, just behind Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah. Her impressive speeds have led Urbas to question why she is better than him at that age: “I would like to request a thorough test on Mboma to find out if she definitely is a woman,” said Urbas. Due to her high testosterone levels, Mboma is barred from competing in races between 400-meters and 1000-meters, as per the Olympic rules.
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“The testosterone advantage of Mboma over other participants is seen with the naked eye. In construction, movement, technique, at the same time as speed and endurance. She has the parameters of an 18-year-old boy. At that age, my PB was 22.01, and she has done it in 21.97 in Tokyo,” Urbas told Marca.com. Urbas is the Polish record holder for the 200-meters with 19.98 seconds. He is now a sprinting coach. The difference in sexual development (DSD) debate has largely impacted Black African athletes, including Caster Semenya, Christine Mboma, and Beatrice Masilingi.
Indeed, The Guardian reported on Friday that one of women’s soccer’s most talented players, Tabitha Chawinga, says she was forced to strip on multiple occasions during matches in her home country to prove she was a woman. Chawinga, from Malawi, but plays for Wuhan Jianghan University FC in the Chinese Women’s Super League, says she was first made to undress when she was just aged 13 while playing for a girls’ school team.
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Her opponents did not believe she was female because of her physical appearance and her ability. “I had never been so devastated and I cried at the embarrassment that I had been exposed to,” she told The Guardian. Whilst women like Mboma are challenged over their genetic makeup, US swimmer Michael Phelps- regarded as one of the greatest Olympians of all time with 23 gold medals – is considered blessed as a result of his health anomalies.
They include an abnormally large wingspan, a lack of lactic acid production, which reduces fatigue, and double-jointed ankles for a powerful paddle.
