Gender test demanded for 200-meter silver Olympic medalist because she ran too fast, says former athlete

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Gender test demanded for 200-meter silver Olympic medalist because she ran too fast, says former athlete
Christine Mboma. AP Photo/Petr David Josek
  • Marcin Urbas, a former Polish athlete, has said that sprinter Christine Mboma should prove she's a woman.
  • The Namibian runner has a higher testosterone level than most women and is barred from competing in some races.
  • Mboma won silver at the 200-meters sprint in Tokyo on August 2.
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Former Polish athlete Marcin Urbas has demanded that Namibian sprinter Christine Mboma, 18, go through a sex-affirming test because he cannot believe someone who can run her times is "definitely is a woman."

Mboma won silver at the 200-meter sprint in Tokyo on Monday. She was narrowly beaten to the gold medal by Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah, who broke the world record for the women's 200-meters with a time of just 21.53 seconds - 0.28 seconds faster than Mboma.

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, reports sporting site Marca.com.

Due to her high testosterone levels, Mboma is barred from competing in races between 400-meters and 1000-meters, as per the Olympic rules.

"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.

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Urbas is the Polish record holder for the 200-meters with 19.98 seconds. He is now a sprinting coach.

Gender test demanded for 200-meter silver Olympic medalist because she ran too fast, says former athlete
Tabitha Chawinga (R) says she was forced to strip to confirm her gender. Getty/NurPhoto

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.

Her opponents did not believe she was female because of her physical appearance and her ability.

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"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.

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