‘Every ending is a beginning’: Caster Semenya opens up after ‘Tropika Island of Treasure’ exit

Caster Semenya has been eliminated from Tropika Island of Treasure: Réunion Island, becoming the first celebrity to leave the competition.

The international sporting legend and her partner, Thando Zwane, competing as Team Orange, were sent home after an elimination challenge that proved far more demanding than brute strength alone.

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A wobbly disc, 21 bottles and one free hand each

Following last week’s sunset ceremony, Team Orange went up against Team Blueberry Cheesecake, made up of Leandie du Randt and Anke Coetzer, and Team Green Apple, Nadia Nakai and Andile Khuluse.

The task required them to stack 21 bottles of different sizes on a wobbly wooden disc, with each pair tied together at the wrists and limited to one hand each.

Team Orange started strongly and looked to be in contention, but their disc came crashing down, forcing Caster and Thando to start again. Despite several more attempts, they couldn’t recover the lost ground and finished last.

Caster Semenya and partner Thando Zwane, who were the first team eliminated from Tropika Island of Treasure: Réunion Island. Picture: Supplied

For Caster, the bottle challenge was the moment the island’s difficulty became real.

“It looks simple on TV, but that structure moves with every breath. You think, ‘It’s just bottles.’ Then you are standing there, the sun is hot, the thing is swinging, your partner is counting on you. I said to myself, ‘Yo, this island is not playing around!'” she said in a recent post-exit interview.

“Steady, Caster, steady”

Caster says she tried to stay composed as the pressure mounted.

“I was telling myself, ‘Steady, Caster, steady’. You need to be still in your mind first; then your hands follow. I was trying to control my breathing, communicate with Thando and not rush.”

In hindsight, she believes eagerness was their undoing, explaining: “We wanted it too much, too quickly. Sometimes when you rush to fix a mistake, you create another one. If we had slowed down even more and found a shared rhythm, maybe the outcome would have been different. But that’s the game.”

Peace over disappointment

Nobody signs up for a competition hoping to go home first, and Caster is candid about that. “Look, nobody goes to an island to compete and to leave first. But the moment it happened, I felt at peace. I compete to win, always, but I also respect the game.”

While she admits to some disappointment, gratitude won out. “In sport, I have learnt: you do not always control the result, you control your response.”

Caster Semenya on being the first celebrity eliminated from ‘Tropika Island of Treasure’. Picture: Supplied

The celebrated athlete arrived with a formidable sporting pedigree, and she acknowledges that it helped, up to a point. “Discipline, endurance, mental toughness, those are my daily bread. But Tropika is not the track. It is not just physical, it’s puzzles, balance, patience, strategy.”

That was a humbling lesson for an athlete used to training translating directly into results.

“On the track, if you train hard, you run fast. In Tropika Island of Treasure, you can be the strongest, but if you can’t balance, listen, and be patient, you fall. It reminded me that success is not just about power; it’s about finesse and teamwork.”

Finding a “real team” in Thando

Despite their limited time together, Caster says she and Thando bonded quickly.

“Thando and I clicked quickly. He is a calm, positive soul and very driven. What worked was respect. We listened to each other. I brought the competitive spirit; he brought creative thinking and good energy.”

“We didn’t have a lot of time to build chemistry, but in that short time, we became a real team,” she says.

If the physical side held few surprises, the emotional side did.

“Physically I was ready, but the emotional pressure, living with strangers, being away from family, the cameras, the time pressure, working with a partner, that is tough.”

“What surprised me positively was the love among the teams. We compete hard, but off-camera we support each other. That humanity was beautiful.”

“A place of strength”

Away from the challenges, the island itself left an impression.

“Réunion is powerful. It reminds me of home. It has mountains, strong people, a beautiful energy, a volcano, the ocean and the mix of cultures.”

“Early morning before challenges, when it was quiet, and you could hear the island breathing. It’s a place of strength.”

Asked what she’s taking home from the experience, Caster says she is leaving with perspective and a new friendship. “Every ending is a beginning. I left early, but I left with a new brother in Thando, with respect for different kinds of challenges, and with the reminder that a champion is not defined by winning every time, but by how you walk away. I walked away proud, grateful and a better person!”

Catch Tropika Island of Treasure every Wednesday at 9 pm on SABC 1, with a repeat every Thursday at 6 pm on S3 (SABC3).

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