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    Semenya wins her first gold in 800 metres

    Caster Semenya won the 800 metres final in a personal best time of 1:55.28 on Saturday, claiming her first Olympic gold medal and using her podium platform to call for unity in sport.

    Semenya wins her first gold in 800 metres
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    South Africa?s Caster Semenya after winning the 800m gold

    Burundi’s Francine Niyonsaba finished in 1:56.49 to claim the silver, her country’s second medal in any sport at the Olympics. Kenya’s Margaret Wambui won bronze in 1:56.89. 

    Semenya has dominated the event this season, with three of the fastest four times, but has had to contend with renewed controversies about her gender. 

    After winning the 2009 world title as a 19-year-old, tests reportedly revealed that she is hyperandrogenous, resulting in her body producing an abnormally high amount of testosterone, which makes her more powerful than her rivals. 

    An International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) rule limiting the amount of naturally occurring functional testosterone for female athletes appeared to have restricted Semenya’s prospects but the rule was quashed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport last year. 

    In Rio, France’s Justine Fedronic, who failed to qualify for the 800 final, said she had sympathy for Semenya’s situation but did not consider competing against her a fair fight. “I just want to be a better athlete. The main focus here was just to run a championship,” Semenya said. 

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