Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya and her partner, Thando Zwane, are the first team eliminated from Tropika Island of Treasure: Réunion Island.

Competing as Team Orange, Semenya and Zwane faced the elimination challenge against Team Blueberry Cheesecake (Leandie du Randt and Anke Coetzer) and Team Green Apple (Nadia Nakai and Andile Khuluse), following last week’s sunset ceremony.

Each pair had to stack 21 Tropika bottles of different sizes on a wobbly wooden disc. Partners were tied together at the wrists and could each use only one hand.

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Team Orange started strongly, but their disc collapsed, forcing Semenya and Zwane to start again. After several more attempts, they were the last team to complete the challenge.

Semenya says leaving the competition this early was not what she expected, but that the experience changed how she thinks about competing.

What was going through your mind when you realised your journey had come to an end?

“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. I was disappointed yes, but more gratitude that I got to be there at all. In sport I have learnt: you do not always control the result, you control your response.”

Did your sporting background give you an advantage going into the challenges?

“In some ways, yes. Discipline, endurance, mental toughness — those are my daily bread. I know how to push through pain and stay focused under pressure. But Tropika is not the track. It is not just physical, it’s puzzles, balance, patience, strategy. So my background helped, but it could not do everything for me.”

How quickly did you and Thando find your rhythm as a team, and what worked between you?

“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.”

What was going through your mind during the elimination challenge?

“I was telling myself, ‘Steady, Caster, steady.’ It looks simple on TV but that structure moves with every breath. 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.”

Looking back, what worked against you and Thando?

“We wanted it too much, too quickly. Sometimes when you rush to fix a mistake, you create another one. The structure punishes any sudden movement. If we had slowed down even more and found a shared rhythm, maybe the outcome would have been different. But that’s the game.”

How difficult was it to face a challenge where physical ability alone wasn’t enough?

“Very humbling, and I needed that. 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.”

Was there a moment when you thought, “This is much harder than I expected”?

“Yes, during that bottle challenge! 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!'”

What surprised you most about the experience?

“The mental pressure. 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.”

Was there a moment or place on Réunion Island that stood out for you away from the competition?

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

What is the biggest lesson you are taking away from your time on the island?

“That 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!”

Seven duos remain in the competition.

Tropika Island of Treasure: Réunion Island airs on SABC 1 on Wednesdays at 21:00, with a repeat on S3 on Thursdays at 18:00.