MS Dhoni has an unlikely fan in South African Olympic Gold medallist Caster Semenya
What’s the story?
MS Dhoni is one of the most popular figures in the Indian sporting fraternity with hundreds of millions of fans spread out across the country and the world. The legend of MS Dhoni has reached such high levels that a biopic MS Dhoni: The Untold Story was released about the life and struggles of the World Cup winning captain.
The biopic further enhanced the popularity of the former India captain, with the former captain now having fans from all over the world. One such fan is South African Olympic-winning runner, Caster Semenya, who expressed her admiration for the Indian captain through her Twitter handle.
In case you didn’t know...
Caster Semenya is a South African runner who won the 800m final at the Rio Olympics after dominating the field for almost eight years prior to her achievement. She has been through a lot of hardship because of her masculine looks and her absolute domination of the competition which has led to many questioning her gender.
The heart of the matter
Semenya expressed her admiration for Dhoni through a tweet on social media where she stated that she had watched Dhoni’s biopic and saluted him for his inspiring story.
His story is now spreading across the world with athletes like Caste Semenya using it as motivation for their own careers.
@msdhoni i have just watched your film.. Inspiring story it is.. #msdhoniuntoldstory... Salute..
— Caster Semenya (@caster800m) May 3, 2017
What’s next?
As shown in the biopic, MS Dhoni too has been through a lot of struggle and hardship to reach fame and stardom. Coming from a small town background, his journey to the top of the cricketing pyramid in India has been an inspirational story that has motivated the youth of the country.
Author’s Take
Semenya’s story has been one where she has had to consistently fight against the odds and her competitors to become an Olympic Gold medal winner. Her story is similar to that of the Indian skipper for the reason that both of them have had to put in tons of effort and dedication to achieve their goals.
Semenya being inspired by Dhoni could have easily been the other way around if a film made on her had been watched by MS Dhoni.
Instead of congratulating ourselves on other athletes becoming fans of Dhoni, we must remember to take inspiration from their stories as well. Athletes like Semenya have probably faced much worse discrimination and continue to do so in spite of their achievements while MS Dhoni is the darling of the masses in the country.