The story of Aminatou Seyni, the hyperandrogenic Nigerian who aims for gold in the 200 meters

“I am a woman and I am fast”reads the motto with which Caster Semenya opposed the provision of the International Athletics Federation (World Athletics), which in May 2019 banned the participation of women with hyperandrogenia in medium distance trials.

The South African, two-time Olympic champion and three-time world champion in the 800m, has received the support of numerous feminist associations and has even brought her claim to justice, but has not achieved the desired results.

The world of Eugene 2022 bring this topic back to the debate and leave an example of self-improvement with the figure of Aminatou Seynewhich has the same condition and managed to adapt to be competitive in speed racing. She is Nigerian, she is 25 and this Thursday she will be present in the 200 meters final.

The hyperandrogenia it is a disorder that leads to the body of women producing an excessive amount of male hormones. It can be caused by a malfunction of the adrenal gland, which is what generates up to 50% of the body’s testosterone.

This condition leads to the development of bodily changes and male characteristics, which ‘World Athletics’ intended as an advantage to compete in trials ranging from 400 meters to one mile (1.6 km) and, therefore, requires that women who suffer from it, if they want to participate, they undergo treatment to reduce their testosterone level.

Seyni, just like Semenya did before, refuses, that’s why had to reinvent himself and this Thursday he will play the final in the 200 meters, after finishing fifth in the 100 meters.

He was second in his series with 22:04, sixth best time overall. He had already competed in that discipline at the Doha 2019 World Championships (he finished 10th) and at the Tokyo Olympics, in which he reached the semifinals with a record of 22.54.

In May he won the 61st Golden Spike in Ostrava with 22.21, which earned him a place against Eugene, and on Monday he won his streak with 21.98 and reached his first final at the highest level. Continuous growth and an admirable demonstration of its ability to adapt to this type of competition.

With that latest record, he also set a new national record and beat a legend like Shelly Ann Fraser Price, five times world champion in the 100 meters and Olympic runner-up in the 200 meters. A result that thrills Nigeria with the possibility of a medal.

Another of his more formidable rivals, also a Jamaican, is Shericka Jackson. The 28-year-old athlete, with five medals at the Olympics and six at the World Championships, achieved the best time in the semifinals (21.68) and starts as one of the main favorites to get on the top step of the podium.