Semenya was born in Ga-Masehlong, a village in South Africa near Polokwane (then called Pietersburg), and grew up in the village of Fairlie, "deep in South Africa's northern Limpopoprovince." She has three sisters and a brother, and is said to have been a tomboy as a child.
Semenya attended Nthema Secondary School and now attends the University of Pretoriaas a sports science student. She began running as training for soccer. (Wikipedia)