Retired Polish sprinter Marcin Urbaś sparked outrage for insisting 18-year-old Namibian runner Christine Mboma must be a man.
Why?
Because she can run faster than Urbaś could at her age.
Mboma recently won the silver medal for the women's 200-meter dash at the Tokyo Olympics with a time of 21.81 seconds.
Because Mboma was disqualified in previous competitions for having naturally higher testosterone level, Urbaś is ludicrously convinced that an examination will reveal Mboma is secretly a man.
Polish sprinter demands Namibian silver medalist be tested to see if she\u2019s \u201cdefinitely a woman\u201d #lesbian #gay #bisexual #transgender #queerhttps://lgbtq.to/3fDJbbU— LGBTQ Nation (@LGBTQ Nation) 1628287351
Urbaś held the world record for the 200-meter dash since 1999.
Speaking to media, Urbaś made several claims about Mboma's gender identity on the basis she beat his time in the 200-meter dash when he was 18.
"I would like to request a thorough test on Mboma to find out if she definitely is a woman. 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."
Varying levels of sex hormones in humans is completely natural and very common.
Urbaś is not a doctor and has no qualifications to evaluate a person's gender or sex.
And Mboma only won the silver medal, which means Jamaican gold medalist Elaine Thompson-Herah also beat Urbaś' time by an even more substantial margin.
But he seems wholly unconcerned with her hormone levels or gender identity.
Urbaś went on to claim officials' failure to invade Mboma's privacy and bodily autonomy by examining her genitals will endanger other athletes.
"We will continue to think that she is fair and equal, and it is a clear and insolent injustice against women who are definitely women."
World Athletics, the governing body that manages track and field competitions has repeatedly banned women athletes with higher testosterone levels—nearly all of them Black women—from competition, most infamously South African runner Castor Semenya.
They argue naturally higher testosterone levels give women a competitive advantage. But these tests are virtually never leveled against men.
Michael Phelps, for just one example, has multiple competitive advantages over other swimmers that have helped him win, like his large hands and feet.
He has never been scrutinized or disqualified for his natural advantages over other swimmers and is considered by many to be the best swimmer of all time.
Urbaś' claims have left many outraged citing their ignorant, racist, misogynistic and transphobic nature.
Marcin Urbas is a clown how about you get a gender test because you\u2019re acting like a jealous little girl who\u2019s throwing a temper tantrum over someone else\u2019s success.— Maggz (@Maggz) 1628451531
So Christine Mboma is being told she needs to prove she's a woman, by Marcin Urbas, because he thinks she's too fast... But the woman who beat her in the 200 meter dash isn't having her womanhood questioned at all... Yeah Urbas, that makes SOOOOO much sense.— Ariah Makhi (@Ariah Makhi) 1628449528
If you ever needed a perfect example of misogynist racism, here it is. #misogynoir\n\nMarcin Urbas is the #european man at the center of this example. \n\nGender Test Demanded for Olympic Sprinter Because She 'Ran Too Fast'https://www.insider.com/gender-test-demanded-olympic-sprinter-because-she-ran-too-fast-2021-8\u00a0\u2026— Sydney Epps (@Sydney Epps) 1628447299
Marcin Urbas is upset because a female is faster than him, so now he\u2019s requesting a gender test. Clown— Cory Moore (@Cory Moore) 1628446010
You know African countries are winning when Europeans start bringing up such nonsensepic.twitter.com/3y5mIKlC3H— The ugly guy kivi (@The ugly guy kivi) 1628013789
Says a spinter who came 6th after Michael Johnson and Frankie Fredricks smoked himpic.twitter.com/ppHMnXEKze— SilasTimoteus \ud83d\udd2e (@SilasTimoteus \ud83d\udd2e) 1628012268
Marcin Urba\u015b basically said, well I am amazing and she beat my times so she must not be a woman. Oh honey, no. Jealousy is not a good look for you.pic.twitter.com/scjMLSsGnt— Melanie Sligh (@Melanie Sligh) 1628443475
#MarcinUrbas is #Trash— musicanimal (@musicanimal) 1628442836
I think Marcin Urbas needs a genetic test to prove he has a brain. Is he sad because she is a better athlete than he was?— The Girl With the Ebola Tattoo (@The Girl With the Ebola Tattoo) 1628435100
Somebody needs to drop kick Marcin Urbas in his pathetically small testicles before yeeting that misogynistic bastard to the sun.\nHe\u2019s every male who can\u2019t deal with a woman doing something better than him and I hope he chokes on it.— J H Sked Nazis Don\u2019t Deserve Safe Spaces #FBPE (@J H Sked Nazis Don\u2019t Deserve Safe Spaces #FBPE) 1628432098
Urbaś is not alone in his anger over Mboma.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe, who put in place the rules disqualifying Mboma from competing in the 400-meter event, is considering extending them to the 200-meter because of what he too sees as Mboma's unfair advantage.
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