Johannesburg - While her rivals battled for Commonwealth Games gold, and soaked up the acclaim in New Delhi, Caster Semenya was left fretting over her finances and wondering if she can afford to keep running.
A gender test controversy and the ensuing 11-month layoff from competition has robbed the 800m world champion of more than just time on the track. Despite being cleared to run by the IAAF, Semenya's manager, Tshepo Seema, says she can't find a sponsor "because of the negative publicity."
Semenya is struggling to pay for her running and has even met with and accepted an offer of help from two young South Africans, who say they "rallied a few friends on Facebook" to raise money for the athlete.
Semenya, now 19, was the first black South African woman to win gold at a world championships when she triumphed in Berlin last August.
Despite then undergoing infamous gender tests, she was welcomed as a national hero on her return to South Africa and dubbed the country's "Golden Girl."
Last month, the teenager was named by British magazine New Statesman in a list of 50 people that matter in 2010.
But, the world champion still cannot find anyone to endorse her.
"We have been to various companies, motor companies, cell phone companies, restaurant chains, a whole range of companies," Seema told The Associated Press, "but we can't get sponsorship because of the negative publicity in the last couple of months. It's not good for Caster.
"Caster has been cleared to compete as a female athlete, she should get the opportunity for sponsorship. Companies have said there is a lot of uncertainty around Caster. They have said, 'We can't touch her."'
Semenya's struggles became clear in September when she launched a cell phone text message campaign to raise money. A message gives just R5.00 (about US 70 cents) to the fund, with Semenya appealing directly to fans after apparently being abandoned by corporate sponsors.
"I would ... like to make a request to South Africans to support me on various platforms that my team has put together," the normally media-shy Semenya said in a statement accompanying the launch of the campaign, "and my promise to the nation is that through excellence and resilience I will strive to live up to the reputation of being known as the Golden Girl."
Earlier this month, Semenya even met with the Facebook group which intends to sell T-shirts and hold mobile car washes for cash - an unthinkable situation for a world champion athlete to resort to.
"We saw an interview (with Semenya) on TV," said Thobeka Macgai, a 27-year-old media professional who started the campaign with her brother Clement. "It was clear she was broke, she had no sponsors and she was on her own. We thought, why not try and assist her? She is South African and she represents us."
Macgai said she met with Semenya and the athlete gave them her approval. However, the group of seven volunteers is yet to raise the money required to print the T-shirts. For Semenya, it's far from the professional sponsorship deals that normally accompany a world title.
Seema said Semenya was not broke - "It's not that bad," he said - but he admitted real problems finding a backer for one of the world's best young athletes. Ironically, it is since she was cleared to run as a woman by the IAAF in July that Semenya's sponsorship problems have emerged. Doubts over her eligibility have persisted.
"Because of this negative publicity post the IAAF decision, her brand has been dented," Seema said. "It is a challenge. At her level she shouldn't struggle to get sponsors."
Michael Seme, Semenya's coach, told the AP she receives a salary from the South African government, is provided with running clothes by a sportswear company, and receives help with tuition fees and the use of training facilities from the University of Pretoria. But there's no endorsements.
Semenya's troubled career suffered a new blow when a back injury forced her out of the recent Commonwealth Games, denying her an opportunity of much-needed exposure and a shot at another international title. It would have been just a second major competition in her dramatic, short career. She had said Commonwealth gold was her No. 1 goal for 2010.
"We are very disappointed with the injury," Seme said. "We didn't reach our target for the year. I was not happy (that Caster missed the Commonwealth Games) but at the same time you must think about the athlete. Now, we don't want to miss the world championships in 2011, or the Olympics."
Seme said Semenya would not run competitively again until next year. Another prolonged absence is likely to further hamper her hopes of finding financial backing.
Macgai said Semenya appeared "determined to continue" in their meetings but she fears for the future of the teenager who emerged from a remote village in northern South Africa to became one of the world's best-known athletes.
"Many of us Africans are from impoverished backgrounds," Macgai said. "Money can be an issue to prevent us from realising our dreams. If we don't get behind her, Caster's career could fade. We don't want that to happen to Caster. We don't want to see that happen."
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