Caster Semenya wins the women 800m race at Doha

Caster Semenya wins the Women’s 800m race at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Diamond League race in Doha, Friday evening.

South African Olympic champion and intersex athlete was not limited by the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (Cas) rejection of her appeal against IAAF rules designed to limit testosterone levels in female runners. Caster Semenya wins in a time of 1:54:99 to win the race which was her 30th in a row at the distance.

Semenya said this was her final race before she must begin taking medication that suppresses her testosterone output to continue competing at the sport’s highest levels might also be changing her mind about quitting.

After the race, Semenya told BBC Sport: ” Actions speak louder than words.”

“When you are a great champion, you always deliver.

“It’s up to God, God has decided my life, God will end my life, God has decided my career, God will end my career. No man, or any other human, can stop me from running.”

She added: “How am I going to retire when I’m 28? I still feel young, energetic. I still have 10 years or more in athletics.

“It doesn’t matter how I’m going to do it, what matters is I’ll still be here. I am never going anywhere.”

The competition comes two days after Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the IAAF, track and field’s governing body must order female athletes such as Semenya who have an intersex condition to take testosterone suppressants like the contraceptive pill to stay under the permitted level to continue competing as a woman in any running event between the 400m and the mile.